THIS WEEK’S BEST BET:
Some of the best action of the year took place in the Cape Cod Canal this week with fish up to 47 pounds that made the scales and a few other rumored 50’s we have not as yet been able to verify. The cold waters of the canal are a great bet for your very early morning forays and reports of good action along the beaches of Sandy Neck out to Barnstable Harbor are a good bet as well. If you are looking for legal fluke try to deeper waters of the west end where Maco’s has been seeing catches of fluke in the low to mid-20-inch class on their cutting boards.
FALL RIVER
Good thing the bluefish have arrived in good numbers as Mike of Buckos Parts and Tackle said the choppers from Stone Bridge up to Old Bull in the Sakonnet were providing action on top and for bottom fisherman. Some of those fish are in the 8- to 10-pound class. There are snappers all over with the Coles, Lees and upper Taunton River the place to go for light tackle action.
NEW BEDFORD
The blue have been grubbing on the ledges from Mishaum Point to Mattapoisett Harbor with some fish in the teens taken on the tube and worm. Eric from CMS Enterprises said the bass fishing along the Elizabeth’s has slowed considerably with the exception of an early morning bite between Gifford Rock to Robinsons Hole. There were a lot of bigger blues mixed in with barely legal stripers in that area.
WESTPORT HARBOR
Although the bass fishing has been on the slow side a few guys who were working the barge and Gooseberry after dark reported taking a few bass in the 30-inch class along with some 8-pound blues. The Westport Angler said the warm water in the river has not been conducive to anything but attracting some small fluke and snapper blues around Charlton Wharf.
The word from Mike V at Westport Marine Specialties was of rather slow fishing with the exception of a few big fish that came into the shop. Dr Steve Fors weighed in a short, stocky 54-pound bass this week taken outside the harbor and on Sunday afternoon one of their regulars brought in a 36-pounder but did not provide any details. Mike has been working the nighttime surf and scored on a few 20s and some choppers that tore up his rigged eels.
FALMOUTH
The good news was that the offshore bite has started up with two boats working out of Falmouth scoring with some yellowfin, Mahi and one Longfin albacore. Jim at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle said that Captain John Galvin skippered a boat out shy of the fingers and the dump for that action along with a white marlin. Locally the bass bite has slowed to a crawl with a few guys live-lining scup taking some legal bass from the hole and the deep water of Middle Ground.
Kyle provided the report from a very busy Falmouth Bait and Tackle where the word on Sunday with word of great action in the canal for their customers who fish there on a regular basis. They said the action was lights out with fish up to 30 and a few 40’s reported on Tuesday morning. Local boats working Hedge Fence are catching blues and some scup and sea bass along the bottom.
BUZZARDS BAY
The canal has been lights out for most of the week with a tremendous bite on the early morning rise and later around noon when conditions once again proved favorable. The word from AJ was of nonstop action from the west to east end. Most of the fish ran from just legal to 40 inches and better with Savage Sand Eel rigs and the big Sebile plugs taking most of the larger fish. No 50’s made it into Red Top Sporting Goods but AJ said the rumor of a pair of 50’s has been buzzing around all weekend.
The commodore at Maco’s Bait and Tackle said they had one 47- and loads of 20- and 30-pound bass in the mix from the blitz in the canal this past week and Dick believes the action could spill over into this week if the bait stays put. There were some large fluke brought into the cutting boards by the Pacheco brothers who fish the deep waters of the west end where scup and some decent sea bass were also in their customer’s fish boxes.
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Steve from Dick’s Bait and Tackle said the bass fishing has been sporadic around the south side of the island, over at Gay Head and along the deeper water of the north shore but the fishing has not produced any trophy fish as yet. There are larger bluefish in the deeper water off Wasque and the only word of bonito has been from the Hooter and even there that bite has not been consistent.
The bonito watch is on at Larry’s Tackle Shop where Cowboy said the hot and humid weather has not been a friend to fishermen. The bonito bite has fallen way off but some guys are still taking bass along the south and north shore at night on darters and needlefish. A few of those fish have been in the 30-pound class while nearshore blues are in the 2- to 6-pound class there were reports of a few 13-pounders from the deeper waters offshore.
SAGAMORE
After a week of lock and load fishing in the ditch Keith at Canal Bait and Tackle said he needed some rest. He and a group of their customers were into some of the best striper fishing of the season this past week as the canal lit up and was consistent almost all week long. While most of the fish were in the 10- to 25-pound class, there were a few in the 40’s and very few sub-legal bass in those catches. There is a load of big mackerel and some smaller bait like herring fry and silversides holding the fish. The beaches along the Sandy Neck side were also hot at night providing fish into the 30-pound class.
HYANNIS
The scup bite has been hot and providing some great action for The Sports Port customers from the beach and boats. Bob said the warm water has driven the bass to deeper water but fluke are still a target in the deeper waters of Nantucket Sound. They had one report from Bishop and Clerks of school bass and some smaller bluefish working bait around that structure. With lots of mummy production in the estuaries there are more reports of fluke moving up close to the inlets.
ORLEANS
Captain Eric had just hooked up and boated a 62-inch tuna for a client that was caught on one of The Hook-Up spreader bars in Iguana. Danny and the crew are working non-stop to keep up with the demands for those deadly lures. Eric said there are now more tuna in the 48- to 69-inch class working the waters off Chatham. Locally the only good striper bite is the commercial bite off Chatham where Ava jigs are the lure that is red hot. There are loads of snappers moving into the inlets that will provide great action for kids and light tackle enthusiasts.
NORTH EASTHAM
It’s been a pretty quiet week for stripers at Blackbeard’s Bait and Tackle but those guys working the waters off Chatham Light are doing a job on commercial stripers. Paul said he and his pals have been fishing Sunken Meadow for topwater bluefish action and taking choppers in the 6- to 8-pound class. The Wellfleet charter boats have moved out to deeper water and chasing bluefish to put a bend in their rods.
PROVINCETOWN
It was one of the slowest weeks for John at Nelson’s Bait and Tackle where the daytime action was dead and nights have only produced a few surf blues. The charter boats are scratching for bass and welcoming bluefish on the troll and on top. He has heard about the big body of fish off Chatham and the bite in the Canal and can’t wait until those fish move into this area.
