Every week, a little more saltwater intel creeps into the fishing reports. This week was no different. But freshwater fishing is still too hot to ignore. Big bass, big trout and big pickerel are all keeping anglers occupied in the sweetwater.

 

Saltwater Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Fishing Report

Starting out in the salt, it seems like there are enough tog around to warrant a trip. Though this week’s weather was too nasty for more saltwater fishing, some anglers did manage a few blackfish off the south side of Falmouth according to Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Buzzards Bay has also been giving up some tog, reports Tom at Red Top Sporting Goods. Keith at Riverview took a swing at tog on Sunday off Hyannis, but high winds made fishing next to impossible.

The rivers, namely Bass River in Yarmouth, and the Agawam and Weweantic rivers in Wareham, have schoolie. Tom at Red Top says the fish are all holdovers, but that some of those holdovers are approaching keeper size. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle says the same. Lots of small holdover stripers in the area, but no real indication that many, if any, migratory fish have hit Cape Cod just yet. There was one impressive holdover caught this week mid-Cape. An OTW fan posted on our Facebook page a video of what appears to be a 40-inch striper that struck a Sebile Stick Shadd in some Cape Cod backwaters. Better yet, the fish was released to grow even bigger. The Bass River should be a likely spot for holdover action, but Dan at the Hook Up did not have any success while fishing there this week.

Freshwater Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Fishing Report

In freshwater, the largemouth fishing is great. For the best shot at a big largemouth, hit a pond with a herring run. I did just that last week after the Fishing Forecast went live, and caught my biggest ever largemouth on a spinnerbait just before dark.

Keith at Riverview Bait and Tackle has been having success fishing Senkos from shore, but this week’s windy weather made it difficult to detect bites. As the wind calms over the next few days, look for the fishing to get even better. Dan at the Hook Up has been targeting largemouths after work, and having good success. He said shiners have been an automatic. If you bring a dozen shiners, Dan said, you’ll very likely catch a dozen fish.

Trout fishing continues to be good, and there are still some salmon kicking. Dan at the Hook Up tied into a Sheeps Pond salmon on Sunday, but the salmon won that battle, making off with Dan’s spoon. Impressive trout continue to be pulled from Cape ponds on shiners, PowerBait and artificial lures.

Smallmouth bass action isn’t great yet, Keith at Riverview said. He found a good bait a couple weeks ago, but it seems as though this recent cold snap sent the smallies deep once again. By the end of this weekend, I’d expect the bronzebacks to be back on the feed.

 

Best Bets for the Weekend

Looks like this is the beautiful spring weekend we’ve been waiting for all year. Mild temperatures, light winds and sunny (or partly sunny) skies. Some green crabs or sea worms and some time spent anchored over some hard structure could scratch that saltwater itch, and give you a shot at a few keeper blackfish. The holdover stripers are an option as well, and with weather like this, it may even be worth looking for the first “fresh” stripers of the year.

The sun and light winds will definitely warm up the ponds, and the pond fishing. For a no-fooling-around approach to catching bass, get a bucket of shiners, and fish them under a bobber. If you’d rather cover water and fish lures, look to spinnerbaits, Senkos, crankbaits, and even topwaters. Largemouths ought to be moving into some skinny water with this warmup, and they will happily attack a spook-style topwater or, if you can find some emerging lilypads, a hollow-body frog bait.

There are big trout roaming the ponds right now as well. Shiners may entice the bigger trout, but just about any trout will stop in its tracks to eat a nightcrawler—especially after a spring rain.