Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 1-24-2013

Let Your (Tip-Up) Flag Fly

I got out for quite a bit of fishing on the Cape over the long weekend, targeting trout on Saturday and largemouths on Sunday. Those reports are little use now however, as the fish I caught and released will most likely be looking up at a thick ice ceiling by the weekend.

Slinging spoons at Peter’s Pond Saturday produced a half-dozen rainbow and brown trout, far better action than I expected when I arrived to find an empty parking lot. The spoon of choice was a Thomas Rough Rider cast into the heavy winds. On Sunday, I launched my kayak hoping to get my first largemouth of 2013. It took a few hours, but I did it, catching three bass on shallow-diving crankbaits fished just deep enough to tickle the tops of the weeds. The bass weren’t very big and they were very lethargic, barely fighting at all after the initial hit. Seeing as this lake had recently thawed after the last freeze a couple weeks ago, I couldn’t blame them.

But if you’re reading this report with the expectation of fishing this weekend, I’m guessing you’ve already dusted off the tip-ups and ice-fishing rods. Dan at the Hook Up in Orleans said Thursday morning brought out a few intrepid ice anglers looking to hit the smaller water bodies for bass, pickerel and panfish. Dan said many smaller ponds have ice around three inches, and expects there will be as much as 4 inches by the weekend.

Four inches is usually enough to support fishing activity. I say usually because there are no guarantees in ice fishing, and just because the ice is 4 inches thick in one part of the pond, doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerously thin in others. Take every precaution before heading out on the black ice.

There’s still open water, however. Cliff Pond in Brewster has been kept open by the Cape Cod winter winds, which have been churning up the water too much to allow for much ice production.

Hopefully by next week’s forecast, we’ll have reports of some big bass and pickerel pulled through the ice.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Find a small pond, check the ice, and set some tip-ups. Live shiners will be your best bet for largemouths, pickerel and mondo perch. A small jigging rod with an ice jig could keep things interesting with perch and bluegills while waiting for the flags to fly.