Red Top Sporting Goods

Conner at Red Top said they had some rare safe ice on Cape Cod over the weekend, and anglers were out in droves looking to take advantage. It was mostly the smaller ponds that hardened up enough to walk on, but the fishing was very consistent – especially for bass, pickerel and perch. Shiners were the main bait of choice, the shop sold upwards of 5 pounds of them on Saturday alone, but some were catching on nightcrawlers as well. Jiggers also score high with trout and bass, Conner said one of his friends, did very well with largemouth bass jigging a small Kastmaster.

AJ at Red Top said, with the exception of guys stocking up on plugs or re-spooling reels for the 2025 Canal season, most of the emphasis has been on freshwater. There have been a few nice smallies taken from ponds on the Cape, these fish are responding to finesse tactics like jerkbaits, Neds and other small soft plastics. Jerkbaits have been the main attraction for largemouth bass fishermen, and the results have remained steady. The coming cold snap just might be enough to cover some of the smaller ponds with ice, time will tell on that. Trout fishing remains the main game in local waters – on and of the Cape – the bite is on the slower side, but guys are still catching fish.