Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 11-3-2011

Much of the talk, even here at the OTW Office, has been more focused on hunting than fishing lately. But for devoted anglers who refuse to trade their rods for shotguns, there are still opportunities for fish, of both the salt and freshwater variety.

 Striped Bass

Schoolie stripers are still biting pretty well all around the Cape. The Harwich beaches are giving up a few, as is the Bass River according to Lee at Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth. South Cape Beach is holding a few fish as well. The beaches adjacent to pond entrances in Falmouth have been producing some short and small keeper stripers.

This late in the season, bait fishing seems to be the best bet for hooking up.  Eels at night and chunks of fresh bunker at night and in the daytime are working right now.

Jigs and plugs are working in the East End of the Cape Cod Canal according to Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. The Canal fish have been running between 20 and 36 inches, reported Chris from Bad Fish Bait and Tackle in Falmouth. Some better bass did make an appearance at the Herring Run on Wednesday, however. The crew at Red Top said that big bass were spotted following plugs to the bank, but not fully committing.

On Martha’s Vineyard, the bass bite has been slow, but Coop at Coop’s Bait and Tackle said a wide open bluefish bite on Middle Ground on Wednesday indicates that there is still time for the bass.

The Elizabeth Islands are also reportedly giving up some fish to anglers casting eels into the rocks.

 Bottom Fishing

Tog fishing is still very good.  Anglers are reporting big numbers of keeper-sized fish along with consistent catches of blackfish 8 pounds or better. Cleveland Ledge has been the hot spot in Buzzards Bay, but rockpiles and wrecks throughout Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay are all holding some fish.  Green crabs are the top bait.

 Tuna

Before the winds came, there was an excellent bluefin tuna bite on the east side of Stellwagen Bank.  Jigging with Shimano Butterfly Jigs was the ticket, though at times the mackerel were so thick, they were being snagged on the jig hooks.

Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle reported that giant tuna are still being caught in Cape Cod Bay and east of Chatham. Christian said north of the BB Buoy has been good lately. One customer fishing in that area had a 500-plus-pounder earlier this week.

Lee at Riverview added the Regal Sword to the list of productive tuna spots for this week.

 Freshwater

The freshwater bite continues to be hot across the board, for a variety of species. As the water cools, the smallmouth bass and trout fishing is picking up substantially. Panfish are providing fast action as well.

Christian at Falmouth found huge numbers of white perch at Johns Pond this week. The bite started at dark and continued until 9:00 at night, with shiners being the hot bait. Mixed in were a few yellow perch and a nice smallmouth bass. Falmouth Bait and Tackle was filling up their freshwater fishing section when I walked in there today, restocking on a number of trout and bass lures, including my very favorite spoon, the Little Tiger from Thomas Lures.

Dan at the Hook Up said Bakers Pond is putting out big rainbow trout right now, as is Cliff Pond. A crew from the Hook Up hit Cliff this week and tallied two dozen trout including a big holdover brown.

Chris at Bad Fish Outfitters said the smallmouth bite is getting better all over, and Ashumet Pond is looking like the place to try for them.

 Best Bets for the Weekend

Universally, the reports this week spoke of red hot trout fishing, so that would be my first choice this weekend. Lingering after sunset could be the ticket to that big brown trout, as well. Try shiners and powerbait, as well as spoons and small stickbaits for the trout.

Next would be blackfish. If the seas settle, getting a load of green crabs and anchoring over some structure should put you on some steady tautog fishing. Move around until you find a piece that is holding good numbers of fish. As long as the tide is moving, it shouldn’t take too long to determine whether or not an area is holding blackfish.

For stripers, lowered expectations will be your best bet this weekend. Fish some smaller lures and try the East End of the Canal or the Herring Run. Eels or chunk baits fished on the South Side near an outflow may be a good choice as well. The water is still in the 50s, which should be enough to hold some bass through the weekend at least. Finding a big school or a big fish may be unlikely, however.