Cape Cod & Buzzards Bay Fishing Report: 10-27-11

It may be time to accept the inevitable. Striper season is coming to a close. As Michael at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle put it, “by now, it’s only the wackos out there chasing them.” Well, I count myself among those “wackos,” and though I didn’t do very much this week, there were still some good bass taken. We’re seeing the shift over to predominantly freshwater fishing reports, and the good news on that front is that freshwater fishing is red hot. Tog fishing is still going strong, but there wasn’t much to report on the tuna front, at least not for the recreational angler.

Striped Bass

The Canal has been slow, reported Tom at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay. There are a few fish being taken, and he had one nice weigh-in this week of a 35-pound striper that fell to a chunk of bunker in the east end of the Canal on Wednesday afternoon.

There are still some reports coming in from the north of bass in Boston Harbor and Plymouth and Marshfield, but this is never any guarantee that the fishing will light up on the Cape. But there is still bait, the water is still in the comfort zone of striped bass, and there could still be a few more fish coming their way.

One thing to look forward to would be an end-of-the-seaon schoolie blitz in the East End, which, for the past few years, have showed up like clockwork around Halloween.

Speaking of schoolie blitzes, Tom at Red Top reported that another Red Top employee found a big school of stripers feeding off the South Side around Osterville. The fish were caught from shore and smaller keepers and shorts made up the majority of the catch.

Cape Cod Bay has been fairly devoid of bass reported Dan from the Hook Up in Orleans, but he said customers trying their luck are finding some bluefish.

There wasn’t much word on striper fishing beyond that. Michael at Eastman’s in Falmouth blames lack of angling effort, as most anglers were discouraged with the poor fishing earlier this fall. Things aren’t over yet, and there should be some bass available until the middle of November, but the season is certainly coming to an end.

Bluefin

Not everybody has to make the long haul to Georges Bank to get giants, said Tom at Red Top, there have been some in the Bay. Dan at the Hook Up said the Whiting Grounds has been one of the productive areas in the bay.

As for recreational-sized tuna, Tom said, most guys tuna fishing now are looking for sell-able fish and not bothering with fish under 73 inches. Last year around this time there was an excellent tuna bite on Stellwagen, but there hasn’t been many reports coming from there or from east of Chatham. A friend of mine was out on Sunday and covered a huge swath of ocean from Plymouth to Nauset, but other than one brief surface feed of 75-pound fish and one lone giant launching out of the water, it was a long boat ride. Bobby Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters has been finding tuna by jigging with RonZ baits.

Bottom Fishing

Tog fishing is excellent right now. Cleveland Ledge has been red hot, reported Tom at Red Top, and green crabs, of course, are doing the damage. Other spots throughout Buzzards Bay are holding blackfish as well, and for advice on how to track down a good toggin’ spot of your own, check out the Wreck Hunting article in the November Issue of On The Water Magazine, which came out this week.

Freshwater

Every fall, there is a sweet spot for the water temperatures in the Cape’s freshwater ponds where it is cool enough for the trout to feed and not too cold as to hamper the feeding of warmwater species like pickerel, panfish and bass. Well, from this week’s reports, it seems like we are in that sweet spot right now. Dan from the Hook Up dunked shiners this week in a Cape kettle pond and tuned up 20 largemouths, a half-dozen pickerel and a few big yellow perch. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle has been fishing trout ponds in the upper Cape and catching 18- to 20-inch rainbows!

Trout hot spots this week included the Nickerson State Park ponds, where some holdover browns were reportedly mixing in with the rainbows, and Mashpee-Wakeby where the big ‘bows are on the feed. Spoons, shiners, PowerBait and nightcrawlers are working on the trout.

Those looking to spice up their fall trout fishing with some competition can join the Falmouth Bait and Tackle Trout Fishing Derby which will be running from Halloween to Christmas.

For the bass, shiners will, of course, catch, but jerkbaits, lipless and lipped crankbaits, and jigs are some fall favorites. Skirted jigs and porkrind trailers are great crayfish imitations, and on cold sunny days, fishing this combination over rocky-bottom areas can turn up some big largemouths and smallmouths.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Those finding it too difficult to stow the striper gear just yet would do best to check the east end of the Canal or the south side of the Cape. Unlike most of the year, when nighttime offers a better bet of action, fishing during daylight hours may be your best bet. Look for birds diving and fish splashing. Metal lures, poppers, swim shads and bucktail jigs are great options for these late-season bites.

Freshwater will probably offer a more reliable shot at action this weekend. I would bounce around to a few ponds, maybe hitting Nickerson State Park for trout and then some smaller, shallower ponds for bass and pickerel.

If the wind lets up enough to allow a boat trip, anchoring over some structure in Buzzards Bay should put you on some fast tautog fishing.