Last Friday was the day to be at the Cape Cod Canal. The northeast wind finally let up and switched to southwest, and the stripers and baitfish made the move en mass. Anglers of all experience levels all along the entire length of the canal caught fish on topwaters. Unfortunately, after the bite was over Friday, the fish did not loop back into Buzzards Bay as they had been doing. Instead they pushed all the way through the Ditch and dispersed into Cape Cod Bay. Fortunately for anglers fishing Barnstable Habor and Cape Cod Bay, the striper fishing this week has been excellent. Unfortunately for anglers who hoped for a repeat of last week’s Canal blitzes, the Big Ditch has, for the time being, gone quiet.
But anglers celebrating Memorial Day Weekend will still have plenty to catch outside the Canal. Mike at M and D’s in Buzzards Bay said the black sea bass and scup fishing in the bay has been excellent. Scup averaging an honest 2 pounds are giving bottom fishermen quite the battle as these fish attack squid-baited rigs two at a time. Sea bass are hitting jigs and squid and even green crabs intended for tautog. There are some fluke being caught as well. Mike helped an angler fillet a healthy 18.5-inch keeper that was caught on the Onset Pier this week.
Vineyard Sound is on fire with a variety of species this week reported Christian from Falmouth Bait and Tackle. The sea bass are running big this year, and Christian has already filled out three Massachusetts State Pin applications for trophy sea bass of 4 pounds or better. Fluke are hitting in the sound as well, and this fishing is will improve as the water warms. Blackfish are still giving anglers tough battles over rocky reefs and wrecks. It should come as no surprise that scup are everywhere in the sound, and their presence has brought in some big bluefish. Christian said bluefishing in the sound is still good, with big fish continuing to show up on the south-facing beaches. Stripers in the 30-inch range are mixing in, especially early and late in the day.
Cotuit offers the best shot at big bluefish according to Chris at Bad Fish Outfitters in Falmouth. To weed the bass out of the big blues, Chris said a friend of his turned to slow-swimming topwater plugs like a Danny plug. Chris said he spotted a school of surface-feeding stripers in Woods Hole, but said the fish were small, only in the 20- to 24-inch range.
Word of the good fishing in Barnstable Harbor reached both Falmouth Bait and Tackle and Bad Fish Outfitters. Stripers to 40 inches are falling to live mackerel fished at the mouth of the harbor, and small soft plastic lures fished in the creeks.
Dan at The Hook-Up in Orleans said anglers in the middle Cape can catch school stripers at will in the rivers out that way. Bigger fish are being found on the bay side, with the best action being had on topwater plugs.
Last year, Dan caught his first bluefin of the season over Memorial Day weekend, and though the wind may keep anglers at the dock, Dan believes the tuna could very well arrive on Memorial Day weekend again this year. Reports from anglers who made exploratory trips to the tuna grounds last week included plenty of whales and baitfish, but a water temperature of 52 degrees, a hair too cold for bluefin. Hopefully the next few warm days will get that temperature up into tuna territory.
On the Outer Cape, Jim at Nelsons said striper fishing has been streaky but good. As bass migrate through the area, anglers are catching big numbers one day and few or none the next. Nevertheless, bass to 38 inches are being caught regularly around Race Point. One interesting report from the past week mentioned pollock being caught on topwater lures off the beach.
Boat anglers looking for cod on Stellwagen are finding limits, but many anglers are going no farther than Provincetown Harbor for their bottom-fishing fix. Winter flounder, good-sized ones- are being caught in good numbers in P-Town harbor.
Best Bets for the Weekend:
While last weekend’s hotspot was the Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay, this weekend it looks like Vineyard Sound will be the place to be. Though the striper fishing in the sound is pretty good right now, there are plenty of options available should the striped ones prove elusive. So when heading out, don’t forget the bluefish lures, sea bass jigs, fluke rigs and green crabs.
Cape Cod Bay is the place to be if you want to focus on stripers. Bring some sabiki rigs to catch mackerel, but make sure you have topwaters as well, since the bass right now are more than willing to smash a popper right on the surface.
The storm should bring in fish today.
Isn’t that photo from last fall?
Are they any signs of tuna at Stellwagen yet? Going to give it a try from 6/5 – 6/7. Any information would be greatly appreciated it.