Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Forecast 8-4-2011

For the past few weeks the Canal has fished only slightly better than Death Valley, with anglers putting in long hours for very few fish. When the strong tides following the new moon on July 31 flushed schools of tinker mackerel into the Canal, the fishing picked up very quickly. Elsewhere, striper fishing improved along the Elizabeths and on the backside. Fluke fishing slowed up, but bonito have invaded the waters south of the Cape with a few of their bigger cousins.

Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay

Prior to this week, even for mid-summer, Canal fishing was pretty bad. Mike at M and D’s in Wareham had more to report about the action all the way out in Chatham than 15 minutes from his shop in the Canal. This week Mike was singing a different tune. Some mackerel have moved in and the bass have moved in with them. Fish from 20 inches to 25 pounds have been chasing down the bullet-shaped baitfish right on the surface. Despite the surface activity, however, getting bass to bite has been extremely difficult. Most of the action is coming on soft-plastic shad baits, Daiwa SP Minnows, Sebile Stick Shadds and Crippled Herring lures. Mike had heard that Thursday’s hot bait was the Tsunami Heavy Shad in a blue color. One angler landed fish to 25 pounds on this lure.

The word from Dan in Red Top was similar. He went as far as to call the fishing “red hot.” Though the majority of the action has been during first light, but Dan said some fish are also being caught by anglers jigging after dark with Slug-Gos or RonZ.

The fluke fishing is still good in Buzzards Bay, even more so than along the Elizabeth Islands. Mike had a pair of customers who tallied over 100 fluke in Buzzards Bay last week.

South Side and Islands

That’s not to say there aren’t any fluke in the sounds. The deepest holes around Martha’s Vineyard are holding the most keepers according to Roy from Riverview Bait and Tackle.

Rivers and harbors along the south side are providing some nice light tackle saltwater action with scup and snapper bluefish. Dan from the Hook Up in Orleans even managed a few keeper-sized fluke fishing live mummichogs in the Bass River.

A few warm-water visitors have made for some interesting catches along the south side lately. Northern kingfish, a member of the drum family, have had anglers scratching their heads when they take squid, worm or clam baits. Pufferfish have also been caught. Though these fish aren’t much for fighting, they certainly are cool, and tickling their belly to make them inflate their air bladder is a big hit among young anglers. Also, one toothy visitor has given anglers a reason to break out the heavy surf sticks. Brown sharks are being caught periodically by anglers giving in a shot. Roy from Riverview has already landed a few himself so far this year.

Bonito catches are coming more frequently at Hedge Fence (off Oak Bluffs) and the Hooter (south of Wasque) according to Chris Parisi at Bad Fish. Some baby, 10- to 30-pound bluefin have popped up at the Hooter as well Chris said. That could make for a great day with light trolling tackle just a short ride from the dock. Just remember that bluefin need to be longer than 27 inches to keep and you have to have a NOAA HMS permit. Rebel Fast-Tracs are go-to lures for the Bonito year-in, year-out, but adding some Clark Spoons and small Japanese Trolling Feathers to your spread might increase your chances of attracting a school bluefin.

Mid and Outer Cape

The diamond jig bite off Chatham has dissipated over the past few days. Most of the stripers that were hanging there eating sand eels and tinker macks have relocated to the specials board at seafood restaurants throughout the state, courtesy of the commercial fleet that parked over them for the past three weeks. Some fish can still be found by moving a bit north along the back side. Dan from the Hook Up said he saved a slow day of tuna fishing this week by moving in and trolling up a number of 40- to 42-inch bass.

Big blues are hanging around Monomoy right now. Riverview Bait and Tackle weighed in one giant chopper at 15.4 pounds.

Striper fishing is spotty around the tip of the Cape. The word from Nelsons is that bluefish are a much more reliable option at the moment, and they are eagerly hitting plugs both from boats and from the beach. The few stripers being caught are being taken by trolling with wire line and jigs or leadcore and tube-and-worm rigs.

Cape Cod Bay

Very little is happening for shorebound anglers fishing the Cape Cod bayside. Brewster flats are holding only a few fish and the fish in Barnstable Harbor have been on the small side. Boat fishermen are picking a few fish off Billingsgate Shoals and supposedly a bit flared up at Scorton Ledge with some quality fish. Tube and worms are the bread and butter of the Cape Cod boat fisherman, just be sure to pack along an assortment of sizes and colors.

Best Bets for the Weekend

The strong tides in the Canal will be gone by Saturday, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the fish will be gone with them. Getting up at sunrise and taking a look in the Big Ditch might be a good call. Don’t forget to pack along some swim shads and metal lures, since the topwater bite has been tough.

For stripers in the boat, the backside seems to have some nice fish if you are willing to drag wire. For light-tackle casting with eels or plugs from the boat, Woods Hole has been holding some fish in the 30-inch class and one OTW Staff Member threatened my spot at the top of the Office Striped Bass pool with a very nice fish taken at an undisclosed location along the Elizabeth Islands on an eel.

Big bluefish around Monomoy might be a much more reliable target, and will not require heavy trolling gear. Teen-sized bluefish are downright fun to catch, regardless of how they are on the table.

If you want to add some new species to your list, now would be a good time off the South Side. Rig up with small hooks and bait up with clam, bloodworm or sandworm or squid.