With August more than halfway over, “back-to-school” commercials are in heavy rotation on the TV. Youngsters everywhere are getting ready to wrap up their summer vacation, and it would seem that stripers are doing the same. The Monomoy Rips, Cape Cod Bay, the Canal and Nauset all had good striped bass bites this week, and things look promising going into the weekend. Bluefish are providing good action as well, along with bonito, bluefin and some surprisingly large black sea bass.
Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay
The Buzzards Bay fluke bite that held on through the summer seems to have fizzled out. Mike at M and D’s in Wareham said a few fluke still remain outside the West End of the Canal, but for the most part, things have quieted down.
Things don’t seem very promising for the rest of Buzzards Bay either. Chris from Bad Fish Outfitters in Falmouth reported a lack of life on a recent trip in the bay. No birds, bait or bluefish could be found. That ought to change soon, however. It’s nearly albie time, and those speedsters just love to feed around the peninsulas and harbor mouths in the bay.
Blues and stripers blitzed in the canal during the morning “breaking tides” at the early part of this week. A mixed bag of baitfish brought the fish into the Big Ditch. Both Arthur from Red Top Sporting Goods and Mike from M and D’s reported seeing tinker mackerel, peanut bunker, sea herring and butterfish. Arthur from Red Top reported some very large stripers being caught, including a 40-pounder caught by an old-timer out on the fishing pier in Scusset Beach State Park.
Topwaters have been catching fish, but jigs and metal lures are working as well. Arthur said he’d hooked a very large fish in the Canal Thursday morning on a Point Jude Nautilus, but the fish ended up straightening out his snap.
South Side
The bonito are still biting well at the Hooter, and a few are being caught at Hedge Fence. The issue with Hedge Fence is that anglers really have to fight through a lot of bluefish to get to the occasional bonito. The Hooter seems to be holding more bonito as well as some football bluefin tuna that are providing some excitement. The bluefin are in the 20- to 30-pound range and are taking the same lures as the bones. If you hook one on your bonito gear, get ready to chase it down!
Fluke fishing is tough in both Nantucket and Vineyard sounds. In Nantucket Sound, finding fluke isn’t difficult according to Jeff at Powderhorn Outfitters in Hyannis, but finding keepers is.
Anglers trying to find fluke in Vineyard Sound are having a difficult time getting through the black sea bass reported Carlin at Larry’s Tackle Shop. Just outside Oak Bluffs some extra-large sea bass into the 5-pound range have been caught in recent days according to a report from Chris at Bad Fish.
Striper fishing has been good after dark on the South Side of Martha’s Vineyard reported Carlin. The Vineyard surf scene looks promising as a number of areas are full of bait. Lobsterville, Carlin said, is loaded. Carlin also heard word of some albies being caught a week ago, but they’ve since vanished. Shouldn’t be long before they show up for the fall.
Outer Cape
South Monomoy is once again producing some nice stripers according to Jeff at Powderhorn. Just outside Nauset cut is producing stripers as well for anglers jigging in some deeper water. In fact, Rob from Blackbeards in Eastham said boat anglers are finding stripers along the whole stretch from Chatham to Eastham.
Bluefish have been blitzing along the Wellfleet beaches lately, providing anglers with some surf action along the backside reported Rob from Blackbeards. Striper fishing from the surf has been slow, but anglers giving it a shot are catching some fish. Reports of mung on the beaches came in this week, but sometimes only a tide change or a wind shift is needed to clear this noxious weed off the beach.
Cape Cod Bay
Arthur at Red Top said Scorton Ledge has been slow, but that may be the only place in Cape Cod Bay not producing at the moment. The North Edge of Billingsgate Shoals is producing 30-pounders for anglers dragging wire and jigs or tube-and-worm rigs. Pulling jigs on wire along Sandy Neck beach is producing some fish as well reported Jeff at Powderhorn.
Bluefish are making a good showing in the bay finally reported Rob at Blackbeards. Anglers fishing the bayshore are getting some 3- to 4-pounders. Boat fishermen are finding more and bigger bluefish in the bay. Dan from the Hook Up in Orleans found way more blues than bass on a recent trip out.
The big news in Cape Cod Bay are the football bluefin that have been providing a surface-feeding show for anglers targeting stripers at the Fingers. Though tuna have been seen breaking in the bay in good numbers, they’ve been a bit tricky to get on a hook. Fisherman’s Ledge is holding some bluefin as well.
Freshwater
Shiners and nightcrawlers were flying out the door at a number of Cape Cod tackle shops this week. Anglers taking a break from the salt are finding eager largemouth bass and perch in many ponds. Some anglers even reported catching some trout from Peters Pond.
Bluefin
The bluefin bite east of Chatham is a little slow at the moment. Captain Eric Stewart managed just one 45-incher on a trip to the BC Buoy area this week. There seems to be more and bigger bluefin on Stellwagen Bank. One customer of the Hook Up tied into four bluefin in the 60-inch range trolling spreader bars on Stellwagen Bank this week.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Whether targeting stripers in Cape Cod Bay or bonito south of the Vineyard, make sure to have some tuna gear ready. If a school of football tuna pops up next to the boat, having a rigged soft-plastic or topwater or swimming plug ready to go might just get you a bonus bluefin.
The north edge of Billingsgate seems to be holding some of the bigger stripers in Cape Cod Bay at the moment if you’re willing to troll wire or a tube and worm. If trolling isn’t your bag, head to Chatham and Nauset and drop diamond jigs to some stripers and blues.
If you want bonito, the Hooter is the hotspot, but they are also on Hedge Fence if you don’t mind fighting through blues to catch them. Bump up the trolling speed if the bluefish plague becomes unbearable.
Not to knock bluefish. I hooked a 10-pounder in the Canal this week and was thrilled to catch it. It’s tough to beat the frantic fight of a big blue. Look for surface action around slack in the mornings in the Big Ditch, which this weekend will be 9:00 and 10:00. Though the tides aren’t ideal, there should still be some fish moving through.
i would like to say one thing. Im an avid and seasoned canal fisherman with much success. as for the canal fishing reports it seems odd to me when ever there is not much going on there is always a tackle shop owner that states all is great.give it a break and come back down to reality. an honest report will benefit you alot better.
Greg, we realize that tackle shop owners, like most fishermen, are prone to exaggeration, and that’s why we talk to a number of sources and try to edit them to be as accurate as possible. Also, the Canal is a big place, and a fisherman’s experience on one side in one place can be different from folks on the other side or just a mile away, as I’m sure you know. A shop owner doesn’t hear from the 100 guys who got skunked that morning – he hears from the 5 guys who were in the right place at the right tide and had 20-pounders blitzing on sea herring at their feet. We had four different folks right here in the office fishing the canal several days last week, and their experiences are factored into the report as well. Some of us caught fish, some of us watched others catch them. But it was a better few days in the canal than there had been in a couple weeks. Now let’s hope the new moon tides pick things up again this weekend.
STILL CATCHIN STRIPERS IN THE CHANNEL AT BARNSTABLE DRIFTING CHUNK MACKS. GUY NEXT TO CAUGHT A NICE KEEPER ON A WORM!
I hate to say it, but I’m kinda feeling the same as Greg. I got a new rod and reel for Christmas and was chompin at the bit for the fishing season to start. I have fished the canal at least once or twice a week since, only to be severly disappointed. I’ve tried EVERYTHING from different chunk baits to lures to even smelly spray stuff , I check “On the Water” read any fishing report i can get my hands on and nothing……very discouraged. I know I’ve only fished the Canal for a few years, but come on I can’t suck that bad. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Okay so I was at the canal twice on sunday (6am and 6:45pm) and have come to the same conclusion as most. You need to be there when the fish are jumping right in front and that might not even produce a keeper. I fish scusset beach off the rocks and it only seems to happen in the am and even less in the pm as sun sets. Unless you own some waders and can net your own live bait before fishing it doesn’t seem to be a great place to fish this year. The guys that get results are the ones going on low tide and wade out as far as they can and use live sand eels. this gets a liddle rediculous because there are always 4 or 5 guys doing this and they drift lines down the canal while the other tourists toss lines over them. Not my cup of tea. I’m looking for a new spot any suggestions
Anyone try Sesuit Harbor or places near dennis?
Like a lot of Cape Codders, I work nonstop through the summer, and my fishing is limited to spring and ‘fall.
I don’t have a boat, and so have kept to freshwater fishing, but have been thinking of trying salt. No striper gear, and my equipment is only marginal for blues.
Is there any chance of catching porgies, sea bass or tautog in the Canal in Sept and Oct?
If not, where’s another spot where I might do good from shore?
Thanks in advance,
Ken From Eastham
Hi Ken, luckily spring and fall offer the best fishing – If your gear is good enough for blues, it should be good enough for schoolie stripers. There are many places, like jetties at harbor mouths and creek or river mouths, where you could throw small swimming plugs and topwaters – not much different from freshwater bass fishing – and enjoy some good catch and release striper fishing in the fall. Herring River in Eastham (First Encounter Beach) is worth a try, so is Sesuit Harbor. The entrance to Bass River in Dennis offers a good shot at scup, and maybe fluke and sea bass, and is much closer to you than the Canal. Stop in to a local tackle shop to pick up some frozen squid for bait (or some Berkley Gulp) and talk to the folks there about the kind of fishing you’re looking to do and they should be able to give you some good suggestions. Good Luck!
Thanks so much for the suggestions!
My gear is a little weak for blues, but Bass River and some scup and sea bass sounds good.
Ken
PS
What’s a good circle hook size that’ll work on both scup and sea bass?
I have some shoulder damage from an old injury and prefer baitfishing to a lot of casting.
Thanks again!
Ken
Also this report is inaccurate in that the monomoy rips have been dead this week there have been a lot of sand eels and terns but no fish underneath. Literally no boats there a few evenings even on good tides. Why? No fish.
Greg,
I too fish the Canal probably more than I should. Fishing reports are fishing reports. If you honestly fish down there enough what does a tackle shop report mean to you anyways. Fish at night with jigs and you’ll find you beat what the reports say most times.
Kim- Fish at night drifting eels this time of year and it won’t be long until you hook up.
Thank you Jon! I am hoping that this coming storm stirs up some fish! I am keepin my fingers crossed! Obviously I hope the storm doesn’t cause any damage. Good luck everyone.
I’m a NY (mostly Long Island) fisherman but my family vacations at the Cape every other year for a week. We are heading up starting this Saturday – hurricane or not. I’m packing my fishing gear for this trip. Have an 8 and 10 year old and would like to keep them busy catching snapper blues off the shore – any recommended spots on the bay? We are staying in Orleans.
The fishing up that way hasn’t been that great the past couple of days. It may not be the best place to be bringing your kids based on the forecast. My buddy is currently right on the beach in Orleans and hasn’t done well the past couple of days. Keep in mind all things are subject to change.