Cape Cod & Buzzards Bay Fishing Report: 10-6-11

For the first time since late April, I actually felt cold while fishing last night. The strong northwest winds dropped air temperatures into the 40s, which, many anglers hope, will drop the water temperatures as well and give the striper fishing a much-needed shot in the arm. The bluefin fishing was nothing short of spectacular this week, the albies are sticking around and the blues haven’t left just yet.

Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay

A good morning bite greeted anglers who answered the bell Monday and Tuesday reported Mike from M and D’s in Wareham. The bite had slowed a bit by Wednesday, but Tom from Red Top in Buzzards Bay reported that it wasn’t for lack of fish. The bass are still in the canal in good numbers, reported Tom, but the past couple days they’ve been feeding out of casting range for most anglers. There weren’t any monsters weighed in this week, but Tom said a couple fish in the low 40-pound-range made it to his scales last week.

Small metal lures and loaded Super Strike needlefish have been flying off the shelves at Red Top as anglers try to find a lure that will reach the fish and still match the size and profile of the predominant forage, which includes butterfish, peanut bunker and herring fry.

Most of the action has been from the Sagamore Bridge west reported Mike, who said that anglers who stuck it out through Wednesday’s tough morning bite were rewarded with some good fishing in the late afternoon.

Though the fish can be seen feeding on the surface, subsurface presentations are getting the most bites, especially bottom-bouncing jigs.

Buzzards Bay is still holding some albies according to Chris at Bad Fish Outfitters in Falmouth. Some albies even ventured into Wareham Harbor reported Mike at M and D’s.

Blackfishing is good right now, and getting better. Big fish, into the 10-pound range, are taking green crab baits fished over rocky structure throughout Buzzards Bay.

South Side and Islands

The real false albacore bite seems to be around Martha’s Vineyard. Coop at Coop’s Bait and Tackle said the albies are being caught from shore all around the island. The boat fishing is really exceptional, and Coop reported one captain who caught two albies on the same lure at the same time! Sounds like these speedsters are acting more like bluefish.

The bass fishing on the Vineyard is picking up, and Coop, the leader in the shore division for striped bass at the moment, expects some bigger fish to hit the beach in the coming weeks.

Bluefish fishing is good all around the island as well, it’s only the bonito that have been slim pickins as of late.

There’s been hardly any word on the fishing on the South Side of Cape Cod. Falmouth Bait and Tackle and Bad Fish Outfitters, both in Falmouth, cited the heavy north winds as the reason for the lack of reports. There is a good amount of bait in the South Side ponds, and when that starts to flush out, there should be a good flurry of action along these beaches. Even so, I suspect there are some willing schoolies hanging at the mouth of most any harbor or pond along the south side.

Mid and Outer Cape

Received a rare report from Lee at Riverview Bait and Tackle today regarding the fishing around Monomoy. Lee said the bass were so numerous, getting through them to the bluefish was next to impossible. I’m not sure who was trying to “get through the bass” to get the blues, but that seems like a pretty good problem to have. Stage Harbor is holding bunker, and that bunker is attracting bluefish.

Eric at the Hook up reported good bluefishing with some bass on Nauset Beach this week. But mostly, the fishing from the surf has been slow down Cape. Occasionally bluefish schools, but no bass bite to speak of from the beach according to Paul at Blackbeards in Eastham. Then again, not many anglers are giving the Outer Cape an honest try. Paul said a big body of fish could be moving right along the beaches, and no one would even know.

The heavy north wind has not done surfcasters any favors, however. The water is dirty and full of mung, even up on Race Point. Boat fishermen and kayakers able to fish cleaner water are doing considerably better, with big bass and big bluefish.

Cape Cod Bay

Canal Bait and Tackle reported good fishing at the Parking Lot area off Sandwich a few days ago. Overall, however, reports from the bayside are mixed. Bob from Falmouth Bait and Tackle fished the bay this week and had nothing to show for it but a pesky spiny dogfish. Sesuit Harbor reportedly has some small keeper-sized stripers dropping out, said Roy at Riverview Bait and Tackle.

Bluefin Tuna

The bite is on, and a mix of bluefin from 40 to 71 inches invaded the waters east of Chatham this week. Trolling spreader bars has been the most productive method, though jigging is an option as well. Eric Stewart of the Hook Up in Orleans landed 30 tuna in two days this week, doubling up and having the bites come so quickly, he couldn’t even deploy his entire four-rod spread. Heavy winds kept him and other anglers at the dock the past two days, but he hopes when the conditions allow another trip east, that the fish will still be there.

Cape Cod Bay has some giant bluefin, but as is often the case with the commercial fleet, there is not much information being set forth. If you don’t mind spending a day trying, this is the time of year to chunk up a giant tuna well within sight of land.

Freshwater

The fall shipment of trout arrived to Cape Cod ponds this week, though I’m not sure any anglers noticed. Most fishermen still have the saltwater blinders on, but as the ponds cool, both the freshly stocked and the hold-over trout will be feeding in the shallows. Small gold spoons are a favorite this time of year, though PowerBait is never a bad choice. Live shiners may produce a frustrating number of short strikes with the trout, but any fish that finds the hook will be a good one.

Best Bets

I would pack for a few different fish this three-day weekend. I would start at the Canal with a jigging rod and an albie rod both ready to go. If the stripers don’t cooperate, I’d hop on Route 6 and torment some trout in Peters or Johns Pond in Sandwich.

Though there will surely be a crowd there, Martha’s Vineyard sounds like the place to be for albies and blues, and even bass. When looking for stripers, don’t be afraid to get down and dirty with some chunking. The current leader in the shore division was taken on squid fished right on the bottom.

And then there’s bluefin. Get the 50s ready and the spreader bars good to go and head east of Chatham for some trolling. Bring the jigging rods along as well. Captain Eric was spotting fish on the sounder, and if you can mark them, you can jig them. RonZ baits, Stingo PBJ jigs and Shimano Butterfly Jigs are all excellent choices.