Trout, largemouth bass fishing heats up

Some big trout found their way into Cape Ponds this week, with a little help from the workers at the Sandwich Trout Hatchery. Brook trout to 4 pounds were weighed in at the Hook Up for their annual kids fishing contest.

Word all over the Cape is that the trout fishing is lights out. Big numbers are being reported. Stan at Red Top said anglers have been routinely catching a dozen fish in an outing. Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle corroborated the story, saying he’s been getting reports of big trout catches. Shiners, PowerBait and spoons are doing the damage. OTW employees Ryan Bibeau and Pat Donovan gave the trout a workout in an Upper Cape Pond on Wednesday night. They tossed Al’s Goldfish and Phoebe spoons and had near constant action through the last two hours of daylight. Dan at the Hook Up recommended Sheeps Pond for the best shot at a bigger trout, though I suspect all the ponds stocked this week had a sprinkling of broodstock trout in the mix.  MassWildlife posts weekly updates of which ponds have been stocked here. Check Friday for the ponds that were stocked the previous week.  An 8-pound salmon also hit the scales the week, likely from Sheeps Pond.

Largemouth bass fishing is lights out, now that the weather is starting to settle down and warm up. Anglers dunking live bait in front of herring runs are catching big bass. The biggest largemouth in the pond wait at herring run entrances to ambush incoming alewives and bluebacks. Anglers staking out such areas with live shiners have a good shot at catching a very big largemouth.

The Hook Up weighed a 7-pounder for one of the youth anglers in their tournament this week. A 6-plus-pound pickerel also hit the scales. Bass fishing has also been good with skirted jigs, spinnerbaits, Senkos and shallow crankbaits.

The report from Riverview Bait and Tackle mentioned that smallmouth were starting to bite in many of the ponds. Jerkbaits fished with long pauses have been the best bet. Though the smallie action is starting to pick up, it still isn’t as consistent as the largemouth or trout fishing.

And, as you’d expect given the nicer weather, there has been some talk of stripers. Fish to 20 inches have been reported coming from the Canal, and some smaller schoolies than that have been spotted in the Bass River. Stan at Red Top checked one backwater spot in the Upper Cape and came away empty. It’s still very early for stripers, but without question, holdovers will be stirring and some tiny migratory fish will be showing up over the next week. Given the freshwater opportunities right now, striper fishing is a waste of time—especially since the average largemouth being caught is currently bigger than the average striper being caught right now. If you insist on targeting stripers, crush your barbs. The odds of a keeper are slim and a barbless hook will do less damage to the undersized striper and increase it’s chances of growing into a cow.

Lots of shops are selling green crabs, but not many fishermen are reporting catching blackfish. The crew at Riverview said they’ve been hearing of a few tog, and Stan at Red Top heard of some catches in Buzzards Bay. The water temperatures are in the right place, so it’s likely that the craggy structures of Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound will be holding blackfish. Look for structure in 30 feet or so. Tog will move increasingly shallower as the water warms.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Trout and bass top my list for this weekend. Keep an eye on the shallow waters for big cruising largemouths, and tempt them with a topwater or soft plastic. I’ve heard no reports of bass on spawning beds yet, but if this warming trend continues, we may see that before the next Fishing Forecast is posted. If you want to target some of the larger trout that have been stocked, don’t be afraid to bump up the size of your offering. A live shiner or medium-sized spoon like a Thomas Buoyant might be more likely to tempt a big trout than a tiny spoon or piece of PowerBait.