Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 1-3-2012

Fishing Limbo

Have you bought your license yet? A new year and a new fishing season began on Tuesday, but unfortunately, unless you snuck in some fishing before Wednesday night’s deep freeze, finding some fishable water (or ice) may be a challenge this weekend.

As I made the rounds on Tuesday, the smaller ponds already had ice around the edges, extending just far enough from shore to make it a nuisance for fishermen trying to cast from shore or launch a kayak. Larger Ponds like Peters, Mashpee-Wakeby, and I imagine Cliff, were ice-free on Tuesday, but single-digit temperatures could have put some skim ice on these ponds.

This puts fishermen in a tough spot. Despite the cold weather, smaller ponds, even ones covered in ice, may not be safe to fish just yet. With last year’s lack of ice, I know fishermen are eager to ice fish once again, but waiting a few days for the ice to thicken is well worth your life.

When I called Falmouth Bait and Tackle, Todd said that as of Thursday morning, fishermen were still buying shiners and fishing the open water. Todd seemed to think Peter’s would remain open on account of its size and the wind. A good wind-driven chop is a hindrance to ice formation, and given how often I’d had to chase the Christmas wreaths around my front yard this week, I’d say Todd is right.

Captain Rich at the Hook Up said there’s still plenty of salmon left over in Cliff and Sheeps since most anglers have been releasing them. But most of the smaller ponds down that way have skimmed over. Rich said some more cold nights are needed before there’s safe ice, but noted that the sun and 40-degree temperatures forecasted next week could  put the ice in a questionable state. Rich said he and Dan Jones are planning a trip off Cape to find some safe ice soon.

If you can find some open water, the trout are biting. Stick to bait, however. That water is cold and the fish aren’t quite as willing to chase down an artificial lure right now. Shiners, worms and even PowerBait has been responsible for some good rainbow trout over the past few days.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Stay off the ice. I’ve heard of a few ice-skaters out and about on smaller ponds, but on the best ice-fishing ponds, there isn’t safe ice just yet. If you just have to get onto the hardwater, check out Ron Powers’ forecast. He’ll have the lowdown on any safe ice in the rest of Massachusetts or Northern New England.