Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 6-1-2012

Stripers Everywhere.

We’re all familiar with the “tree falls in the forest” question, but what if we applied that to blitzing fish? This scenario won’t be happening on the Cape Cod Canal, what with a 24/7 watch on those moving waters by both local and visiting anglers. No striper can break the surface of the Big Ditch these days without an angler spotting it and promptly dropping a pencil popper right on its cranium. But what about the parts of the Cape that haven’t been so vigilantly watched?

The boat fishing reports around Provincetown have been pretty darn phenomenal in recent days. Keeper bass are being caught in biblical numbers by anglers live-lining macks and jigging RonZ’s and other sand-eel imitations. So wouldn’t it stand to reason that sooner or later some of these masses of basses would hit the beach? Rich at Nelsons described a dream scenario for anglers looking for fast fishing room and plenty of elbow room. One of his regulars was driving the beach at Race Point this week, by himself, and happened upon a fish-a-cast blitz by the swimming beach. The angler sat on these fish for hours, leaving the beach and returning to find the bite still going.  The fish weren’t schoolies either – more like 20- to 25-pounders. Swimmers like the Mambo Minnow and Daiwa SP Minnow did the damage. One, yes just one, other angler joined the mayhem before it petered out. But with so few surfcasters giving it an honest try at that end of the Cape, who knows how many blitzes have gone un-fished. Which begs the question – if a blitz takes place and no one’s around to fish it…

Striper fishing ranged from hot to cold around the rest of the Cape. The canal cooled off, but sun-up at the East End produced a few nice fish on the surface throughout the week. One 32-pounder was reportedly taken on a Shimano Waxwing according to Mike at Bad Fish Outfitters in Falmouth.  Stronger tides are coming over the weekend with “breaking tides” happening early next week. “Tuesday will be the day,” according to Mike at M and D’s in Wareham. Get your pencil poppers ready and set your alarm early to get a good spot. This definitely won’t be a blitz you’ll be fishing alone.

The primary baitfish in the Big Ditch lately has been mackerel reported Allen at Red Top, but with the super strong tides coming up, who knows what kind of striper candy will get sucked in there. Have a variety of colors and plug styles on hand, and don’t forget the snag hooks – they just might come in handy.

The Elizabeth Islands are loading up with stripers. Quicks and Robinsons holes are full to the brim with bass on a running tide reported Mike from Bad Fish. Trolling tube-and-worm rigs between the islands is tempting the stripers, but, if you can find some good, big bait concentrations, you may be able to hone your technique to target trophy fish. One group of anglers found a school of bunker being harassed by stripers on the backside of the Elizabeths and snagged-and-dropped a live bunker right into the waiting mouth of a 45-pound striper.
Some of the bass on the Elizabeths seem to trickling over to Gay Head, and the early stages of the summertime chunk bite seem to be beginning over there.

Cape Cod Bay is seeing its share of bass action as well. Billingsgate Shoal has some fish in the 40-inch range according to Dan at the Hook Up. Barnstable Harbor has become a bit less reliable. Though the fishing is still lights out on some days, on other days, anglers are arriving to find small finicky stripers eating tiny bait, with no sign of their larger, less-discerning brethren.

Buzzards Bay is your one-stop destination for big bottom fish. Scup to 4 pounds, black sea bass to 6, and the occasional keeper fluke are keeping it interesting on the bottom of Buzzards Bay according to Mike at M and D’s. Roy at Riverview in South Yarmouth noted the same thing, saying the sea bass numbers in the bay are incredible. You can’t help but catch some fish. Cleveland Light is one of the sea bass hotspots according to the boys at CMS, but any live, craggy bottom should be holding eater-size sea bass.

Bruiser blues are also running through Buzzards Bay according to Mike at Bad Fish Outfitters. The blues are also showing up along the South Side as well. From Falmouth to Hyannis, the blues have been Ravenous Mike said. Roy at Riverview echoed the good bluefishing, recommending West Dennis Beach.

By all accounts, fluke fishing hasn’t quite come into its own yet. The CMS crew said mid-June should bring the doormats into Cape and South Coast waters. Not to say there weren’t good fish caught. An OTW crew spent a day bottom fishing and turned up a 7-pound summer flounder. Mike from Bad Fish also reported good fluke fishing off Falmouth Heights. The word on Lucas Shoal has been small fish, but plenty of them. An angler dedicated to the cause could definitely weed through the throwbacks to pick up a couple keepers to bring home.

Squid are hot and heavy in Onset, Mike at M and D’s said.  They are so thick, anglers are jigging totes full of them during the day. The commercial squid season ends on Midnight June 1, so after that, they’ll all be left for us, and better yet, for the stripers, blues and doormat fluke that eat them.

Not to overlook the freshwater, smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent. Mike at Bad Fish had a banner day at Peter’s last week. Some good trout are still coming out of the ponds as well.  Early mornings will be best for the trout. Consider bringing a fly rod as well – big hatches have brough plenty of trout to the surface in recent days. Otherwise, try live shiners or small Kastmaster spoons.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Breaking tides in the first week of June makes the Canal an easy choice for early next week, but what about until then?  The Elizabeths have big fish – going down with a tube-and-worm plan, but being ready to switch gears if some big bait shows up could be a good call. Getting in a boat and jigging the big schools of Provincetown would be another good call. So would casting to the surface-feeding fish at Billingsgate. Bishop and Clerks has stripers too, so does the Vineyard. In fact just about everywhere does – it’s the first week of June!
Break up the striper fishing with some black sea bass fishing or fluke fishing, and don’t forget about the roving packs of blues between Falmouth and Chatham.