I was fishing on the Salmon River in Upstate New York on Saturday when I got a text from my co-worker Anthony DeiCicchi saying he caught a 7-pound largemouth bass. “April fools,” I thought. Then on Sunday, Anthony sent another text, this one with a picture attached, saying that this second fish was even bigger. While judging a fish’s weight is an imperfect science, even in person, the fish looked every ounce of 8 pounds, but as the fish was released, we’ll never know the actual weight of that behemoth bucketmouth. The pattern Anthony stumbled upon to catch those two lunkers is the same one that’s been working for a number of Cape largemouth anglers over the past couple weeks – pitching (non-lead) skirted bass jigs with a trailer into submerged fallen trees and bushes. Largemouths have been clinging tight to these structures as they wait for water to warm enough for them to begin to make and move onto their spawning beds.
Largemouth bass fishing has been pretty good this week. The steady weather has improved quite a bit of freshwater fishing. The up-and-down temperatures have made the fish tough to predict in recent weeks, but things are looking good for the weekend, even with the slight cool down.
Roy Leyva at Riverview Bait and Tackle said the smallmouth are moving back into shallower water. He’s been finding luck with jerkbaits lately. Larry at Red Top Sporting Goods has been experiencing some good smallmouth fishing as well.
Largemouths have been showing a preference for jigs (lead free of course, in compliance with the new regulations), as well as shallow-diving crankbaits. Dan at the Hook Up in Orleans has been doing well with a jointed Rapala swimmer in shallow ponds. Pickerel have been feeding aggressively alongside the largemouths.
A couple of the top ponds this week, noted by Chris at Bad Fish Outfitters in Falmouth, included John’s and Shubael. Johns was producing some nice largemouths on crayfish imitations while Shubael Pond was pumping out trout.
Trout reports were mixed this week, with many anglers finding the fishing difficult. Roy at Riverview said the fishing is still excellent, however, provided your adjust your tactics. Some of the trout have been in the ponds for more than a month by now, Roy said, and they’ve seen plenty of spoons and PowerBait. Changing tactics and throwing a stickbait or casting-bubble-and -fly will certainly ignite the trout bite once again.
It seems like the baitfish schools are falling into place in the saltwater, as herring, squid and mackerel are all present in Cape Cod waters. Goose Hummock reported the squid in Nantucket sounds, though it doesn’t seem like any have been caught by anglers fishing from shore just yet. The herring runs are loaded with these silvery baitfish, and more are certain to come. And mackerel are also still poking around the East End of the Canal, as are some schools of sand eels.
Anglers fishing the estuaries and in the backs of harbors are picking away at small schoolie stripers, and according to reports from Rhode Island, larger numbers of these tiny stripers may be on the way. Consider pinching down your barbs when fishing for these small early-season bass, as the odds of hooking a keeper are slim, and it’s important to release the juvenile stripers in good condition.
Mike at M and D’s in Wareham said a couple tog are being caught, and as more tackle shops begin to stock green crabs, more reports of blackfish should be available after this weekend.
The bluefish reports of last week have faded, with only a single picture submitted by George Stevens on April 1st. While George’s Photoshop skills wouldn’t even earn him an internship in our design department, it was good enough to earn a hat. Thanks for the photo, and the laugh, George.
Fishing Forecast for the Weekend
Largemouth bass would be choice number one. While shiners would normally be a slam dunk, Dan at the Hook Up said artificial lures actually out-produced the live baits this week. Non-lead jigs, spinnerbaits or shallow-diving crankbaits, all fished in and around some fallen tree structure, will be your best bet at a big largemouth.
Pick number two would be smallmouth bass. Roy at Riverview said the fish are bunched up right now, so covering water is the key to finding fish. Roy said he’s covered three-quarters of one pond’s shoreline before stumbling upon the smallies and catching 6 fish in a matter of 15 minutes. So rig up a suspending jerkbait and go on a smallmouth bass Easter Egg Hunt this weekend.
Lastly, switch up your tactics and get after some trout. Leave the metals and PowerBait in the bag and try a stickbait like a Rapala Countdown or Yo-Zuri PINS minnow. Or better yet, try a casting bubble and fly, usually with an olive or black Wooly Bugger as the fly. Roy says this rig is “skunk-proof.” For the finer details on fishing the bubble-and-fly rig, reference your March Issue of On The Water magazine.