Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 11-8-2012

Another Storm Leaves Anglers Guessing

The past two days haven’t seen much in the way of fishing action thanks to the powerful Nor’easter blowing through Cape Cod. Howling winds made for big seas while driving rains kept most fishermen indoors.

Striped Bass

Prior to the storm, the best bite was taking place in the Cape Cod Canal, which, up until Tuesday, was producing daily action with small stripers. While 95 percent of the bass being caught were shorter than 20 inches, some anglers walked away with stripers in the 20- to 40-pound range. Swimming plugs and small jigs did most of the damage, and white was far and away the most productive color.

It’s hard to predict where the striper fishing will go from here. Storms like “Athena,” particularly late in the season, have a tendency to move stripers—or more specifically, the baitfish the stripers are feeding on—on their way.

With mild weather forecasted for the weekend, anglers will be able to get out and fish, and they should know quickly if the stripers are still around. If the big schools of sea herring weathered the storm in Cape Cod Bay, there may well be some big stripers yet to move through the Canal.

The South Side of the Cape has been slow. There aren’t many reports of bait in that area, and the last action Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle heard about was bluefish on chunked mackerel. Chris at Bad Fish Outfitters heard about one angler braving the elements yesterday for some small stripers at one of the South Side outflows.

Before the Hurricane, Martha’s Vineyard had a push of big fish along the South Side. Cooper at Coop’s Bait and Tackle said anglers tossing plugs enjoyed a nice run of 30- and 40-pound fish.  There were a few fish between the storms, but Coop said it’s up in the air whether there will be anything left when the weather clears. Mullet and bunker were responsible for drawing in the big bass.

Bluefin Tuna

Though the weather leveled out a bit between Sandy and Athena, I’m not sure anyone was able to go looking for bluefin tuna.

Tautog

Tog fishing rebounded quickly after Sandy, but seas have been way too rough since Wednesday to take a boat out. Start looking to deeper structures for tautog, which will be moving out as the water temperature drops.

Freshwater

Largemouth bass are feeding like crazy, but this isn’t going to last all month. Jigs are working well, so are spinnerbaits. Big largemouths are looking for a big meal right now, so don’t be afraid to throw a big swimbait either.

Trout fishing is good. Anglers are getting into pretty big numbers of trout, with many quality fish in the 12- to 16-inch range. Metals and stickbaits are working, so are shiners and PowerBait. Trout are rising like crazy on calm days, and a number of flies are working. Subsurface numphs will probably get more bites, but I was thrilled to land my first trout on a dry fly at Peters Pond in Sandwich on Saturday.

Cape Cod Fishing Forecast

The weekend weather forecast looks beautiful, so you’d be crazy not to wet a line, especially after the cold, wet weather that’s dominated the month so far. The Canal is probably your best shot at stripers. There’s no telling if the big numbers of schoolies and scattered big fish are still here or if they moved south with the storm. Being in the Canal at first light on Saturday will be the best way to find out.

If seas lay down, a boat ride to some rocky structure should almost surely put some blackfish in the cooler.

If you’re ready to switch to sweetwater, a trout pond would be the best bet if you’re wading, but if you’re going to break out a canoe, kayak or johnboat, the bass fishing is excellent and well worth an afternoon on your favorite shallow pond.