The Trout are In!
Fishing picked up substantially Monday when the stocking trucks made their rounds on Cape Cod depositing hungry trout in deep, cold ponds. Anglers have been catching good numbers of rainbows since then.
All the shops had the same story about the trout, though each had a different bait recommendation. Christian at Falmouth said shiners have been selling well to trout hopefuls in the Upper Cape. Dan at the Hook Up in Orleans said that PowerBait has been a popular item this week for anglers looking to load up on the fresh stockies. Corey Stewart from the Hook Up hit Peters this week and brought a half-dozen feisty rainbows to the bank. Keith at Riverview Bait and Tackle did a job at Sheeps, catching rainbows on rainbow-colored spoons and Joe’s Fly Spinners. He also caught a bonus 9-pound salmon, a fish that is still swimming in Sheeps Pond. One bait that every shop mentioned, including Stan at Red Top in Buzzards Bay, was the night crawler. This old standby has been the top bait over the past few weeks, and it makes sense. Melting snows and heavy rains have been washing emerging nightcrawlers into Cape Ponds, where fish are enjoying the free meal.
While there wasn’t much word from the shops, the largemouth fishing is picking up. The waters are still cold, so you need to go with a slow presentation like a wacky worm, shallow crankbait or suspending jerkbait. And if you really want to get down to business, toss a live shiner under a float. Some of the OTW crew took advantage of the mild temperatures mid-week and went looking for big prespawn largemouth. What we found were plenty of pickerel, a few small bass and one solid “chunk” as the bass pros say.
It looks like the yellow perch are getting ready to spawn. Dan at the Hook-Up caught a monster perch this week that was just shy of the state pin size (1.5 pounds). Kevin Blinkoff of On The Water also took a massive perch fishing a wacky worm for bass. If you are looking to get a behemoth perch, right now is the time.
Still not much word on the saltwater side of things. Stan at Red Top reminds us that smelt season is closing. Not only did I learn that smelt season was closing, but I learned anglers actually catch smelt on Cape, specifically around the Sandwich Marina in the Canal. Stan said the fishery is pretty hit or miss. I only wish someone had told me about it sooner! Nonetheless, it’s something to keep in mind for next winter.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Bundle up and go catch some trout! Sling lures if you want to stay active, otherwise dunk some PowerBait or nightcrawlers and set the rod in a forked stick. I recommend two rods, one with PowerBait which will be an automatic on the fresh-from-the-hatchery trout and one with a big fat nightcrawler that will be just as likely to dupe a wily holdover brown as it is a just-stocked rainbow.
First fish of the year this afternoon 2lb perch.
tank