Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 11-15-2012

If you don’t want to, you don’t have to switch totally to freshwater fishing just yet. But based on this week’s reports, if you want consistent action, freshwater is the way to go.

Saltwater

Though the Canal water is still dirty and filled with debris, there are some small stripers being taken in the east end. Red Top Sporting Goods even had a bluefish brought into the shop this week, reported Jill.

The other saltwater option right now is tog. For the most part, the blackfish have vacated Buzzards Bay, but anglers are still putting together good catches in the deeper water off Cuttyhunk Island. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle said one group decked four 10-pound-plus tog fishing deep waters off Cuttyhunk. Anglers fishing Cleveland Ledge and shallower structures reported having a tough time finding fish.

Dan from the Hook Up in Orleans went looking for tuna by the BC Buoy on Monday with no luck. When they decided to switch to groundfish to save the day, even the cod proved uncooperative. A few lowly spiny dogfish provided the only action of the day. Dan heard a report that some 40 or 50 boats were out looking for tuna around the BB Buoy and Regal Sword, and other than a couple porbeagle sharks, most boats went home empty handed.

The guys at CMS said there are still stripers being caught in the rivers on the South Coast. Some bunker were still hanging in the Acushnet River as well, and some stripers are hanging around them.

Freshwater

While the saltwater action this week was a little dull, the freshwater action made up for it in a big way. Trout fishing was lights out early in the week. Shiners worked well for anglers seeking larger trout while PowerBait or spoons did a number on small rainbows. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle weighed in a 3.3-pound rainbow trout and a 2.1-pound tiger trout. Mashpee-Wakeby, Hamblin and Spectacle ponds have been some of the most productive ponds. Peters has been on the slow side, at least as of Monday. On The Water’s Joe Pechie swam shiners there for a few hours without a touch this week.

While there were no first hand reports, it’s a safe bet that Big Cliff, Sheeps and Bakers are also giving up good trout action.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass haven’t yet slowed their feeding. Falmouth Bait and Tackle weighed in a 4.3-pound largemouth and a 4-pound smallmouth last weekend.

Pickerel are another great fall freshwater option. I set out for bass Monday afternoon, and while the largemouths were uncooperative, pickerel were biting every few casts. The action stayed hot with spinnerbaits and jerkbaits until the sun dipped below the trees.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It’s time to shift gears to freshwater on Cape Cod. If you really want to scratch out a few more striper trips, you’ll do much better heading south to Rhode Island. You can check out what’s happening down there in Kierran Broatch’s RI/CT Fishing Forecast.

For freshwater, it’s a matter of what species you’d like to target. Trout fishing is excellent and bass fishing is pretty good. Hamblin, Cliff, Bakers and Spectacle would be my top trout picks. For bass, there are too many ponds to choose from. The water is getting colder, so in larger lakes, bass will be heading deep. I would look for a smaller shallow pond to make sure your lure or bait is getting in front of the fish.

Also, don’t overlook pickerel. I had a blast catching these miniature pike the other day. The pickerel fought hard and smacked the lures like they owed them money. Though they weren’t my target species, it was still a fun way to spend a fall day.