Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 9-6-2012

Striped Bass Fishing Picking up, Big Bass Blitz the Canal

Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report

The heavy south winds this week dropped the water temperature in Cape Cod Bay, at least from the East End of the Canal to Barnstable. Nevertheless, the large stripers that have been thrilling boat anglers all summer continue to feed. They are still tough to pin down as they move between the canal entrance, Scorton Ledge and the Fingers. The best bet to find these fish is to cover lots of water with an eye on the fish-finder.

Shorebound anglers are finding good action with schoolie-sized stripers in Barnstable Harbor and inside Scorton Creek. Sesuit Harbor has plenty of small stripers as well, great targets for light tackle or the fly rod.

Speaking of light-tackle fishing, small blitzes of schoolie stripers are taking place throughout Cape Cod Bay. I witnessed a few myself near Barnstable Harbor Thursday morning. Diving birds tipped off the location of the fish, which could be seen swirling on the surface in pursuit of silversides. More schools of breaking bass were spotted on the western side of Cape Cod Bay from Plymouth down toward Scusset Beach. Tins and teasers or flies would be the best bet to tempt these fish.

Small keepers are being taken occasionally by anglers dunking bait at Scusset. Fresh clams have been the bait of choice, but sandworms or even squid will work in a pinch.

Lower Cape Cod Fishing Report

Of all the shops I call, you wouldn’t get any farther from the Outer Cape than CMS in New Bedford, it was Eric at this shop who gave me the best Outer Cape surfcasting report I’ve heard this season. It seems a couple of Eric’s customers had been walking the beaches of the Lower Cape at night fishing eels, and had been turning up a 20- to 30-pound fish on almost every outing. While the action wasn’t fast and furious, the fact remains, there were quality fish prowling the beaches after dark. Plugs like needlefish and small minnow-style swimmers might work, but eels will be your best bet.

Bluefishing from the beach was very good on Race Point this past Wednesday. In just a few hours, John from Nelson’s Tackle in Provincetown beached 42 bluefish on an L.I.FishinV.T. Pencil Popper.

Boat fishing off Race Point has been fair with some keeper-sized bass falling to wire-line jigging presentations.

Some school stripers are being caught at Herring Cove beach, but at Race Point, finding stripers from shore has been difficult.

Bigger numbers of quality stripers are still feeding off Nauset and Chatham. Vertical jigging and trolling is working for these fish. There have been some big ones in the mix, including a handful of 40-plus pounders.

Cape Cod Canal Fishing Report

Morning and afternoon action at the Cape Cod Canal was very good in the middle of the week. Many stripers were feeding on the surface according to Alan at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay, but bigger fish were lurking near the bottom. Fish up to 40 pounds were weighed at Red Top, and most of these larger fish fell to Slug-Go’s jigged near the bottom.

Big bluefish also mixed in with the bass.

The action spanned the length of the Canal on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning as the stripers moved with the tide. The Railroad Bridge had good action, as did the Herring Run.

Buzzards Bay and Elizabeth Islands

An algae bloom has made Buzzards Bay water murky this past week. Fishing in the Bay has been slow, and it’s not a stretch to think this brown water is responsible. Moving toward Fairhaven, the water clears a bit, and some albies have been seen feeding from Mattapoisett to Fairhaven, according to Eric at CMS.

Scup fishing is still good toward Westport. The fish have been running big, as they have all season long.

Big bluefish are on the prowl along the Elizabeth Islands. One family was bottom fishing for sea bass only to have several of their catches bitten clean in half by the big hungry blues. If you’re after these gators, adding a wire leader would be a good idea. One report suggested that these big blues had no problem slicing through 80-pound-test monofilament leaders.

Quicks and Robinsons holes are producing some stripers, as well as sea bass and scup.

South Side, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket

For reliable, fun action on stripers, check the Herring and Bass rivers, reported Dan from the Hook Up. School-size bass are feeding heavily on spearing and peanut bunker in these rivers. A larger, keeper-sized fish is definitely a possibility. Use small soft plastic lures or flies.

Waquoit Bay would be another good pick for stripers on the South Side according to Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Cotuit would be another. Both bays are loaded with baitfish, and stripers and snapper blues are taking full advantage.

The Popponesset Spit was a hotspot this week. Big numbers of bluefish were taken here, including an 8-pounder. Stripers to 36 inches were also caught at the Spit reported Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle. Soft-plastic swim shads are working at Poppy, but the bluefish are making quick work of them.

Some bonito have moved closer in, according to Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. These delicious hard-tails have been caught at Hedge Fence and Middle Ground. Trolling has been the best bet.

The Martha’s Vineyard report remains very much unchanged, except that the fishing at the Hooter has slowed down according to Justin at Coops. The big albies there at the end of August moved inshore around the Vineyard for a couple days before disappearing. Reports of them on Nantucket at Old Man Shoal are still coming in and Justin expects the albie fishing on the Vineyard to improve any day now. It’s not uncommon for albies to perform this disappearing act.

Striper fishing is improving on the South Side of Martha’s Vineyard. Bait fishing is doing most of the damage, but plugs are catching a few fish as well. Small bluefish are thick as thieves off East Beach where they are devouring bay anchovies. I wouldn’t be surprised if some albies showed up sooner than later to join in on the bay anchovy feast.

Freshwater Fishing Report

Pond fishing is great reported Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle. Largemouths and smallmouths are biting well, and trout up to 5 pounds were caught this week—though there was no work of the location or the methods used. Dan at the Hook Up had a good night freshwater fishing as well, where he landed largemouths on nearly every cast.

Bluefin Tuna Report

Trolling is still getting it done east of Chatham. Eric Stewart of the Hook Up found fish at the Regal Sword on Thursday and landed 9 tuna in a single day earlier in the week. There was no word of any giants caught. There’s also a good troll bite up toward Peaked Hill Bar. Cape Cod Bay has yet to see football tuna in any significant numbers, but over the next couple of weeks, there should be an influx of these fish.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod and the Islands

There are a number of good options this week. The canal in the mornings may be the best shot at a trophy from shore. Fish deep for the best chance at a big one. For fun light-tackle fishing, try the ponds or rivers on the south side or the creeks or harbors on the Cape Cod Bay side. These fish are on the small side, and are feeding on small bait, but they are feeding heavily on the surface in the mornings. Small lures with teasers, or flies, will work best.

The best place for boat action would be Chatham, especially in terms of consistency. Have your bluefin gear ready, as they have been moving through these nearshore waters as well.

Also, watch the weather this weekend.  Big seas are predicted as well as some nasty winds and rain. The last storm made for some good shore-fishing for stripers, so if boating is out of the question, perhaps you can salvage the day off by catching some fish from shore.