From bluegill sunnies to bluefin tuna, Cape Cod anglers have plenty of options for this weekend.

 

Cape Cod Canal Fishing Report

The big news was the Memorial Day Weekend blitz in the Cape Cod Canal. Fish into the low 30-pound class were taken throughout the Canal on Saturday and Sunday, though things quieted significantly by Monday. According to Barry at Red Top, stripers are still being caught daily in the Canal, but jigs and soft plastics fished along the bottom are the best bet.

 

Buzzards Bay Fishing Report

Buzzards Bay has been a hot bed of bottom fishing activity. Mike at M and D’s reported lots of black sea bass and scup around Bird Island, while Barry at Red Top added Cleveland Ledge to the list of productive sea bass spots. While few anglers have been specifically targeting them, keeper-sized fluke have occasionally been hitting baits intended for sea bass or scup. Mike at M and D’s knows of one angler who was looking for fluke in Buzzards Bay Thursday morning and had already put two nice keepers in the box by the time I called. Tog fishing is also still good reported Bucko’s Bait and Tackle.

Between Sakonnet Point and Westport, action has picked up with bigger stripers according to the folks at Bucko’s Bait and Tackle. There was even a 45-pound striper taken in the Taunton River around Somerset.

 
 

Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds

Since the Canal action cooled off, the South Side of Cape Cod has become the hot spot for striper and bluefish action. Onshore winds have helped put the bluefish, bass and baitfish well in range of shore anglers. South Cape Beach has seen a mix of bass and blues according to Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Oregon Beach has also been giving up bluefish reported Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle.

Jeff also noted that the Popponesset/Cotuit areas have been giving up stripers into the 20-pound range.

Boat fishermen are scratching up some bigger bass by swimming live bunker over Bishops and Clerks Reef, taking stripers in the 35- to 40-pound range reported Bill at Sports Port in Hyannis.

Boat fishermen are finding luck in Woods Hole with the occasional 20-pound-plus striped bass in the rips. The Elizabeth Islands have also been producing stripers and blues. Trolling plugs and jigging have been the preferred tactics.

As far as squid go, however, reports have been dismal. After a great year for calamari last year, squid have been all but absent this year.

Sea bass fishing off the south side has been excellent. Barry at Red Top noted that a big fleet has been dragging bottom for sea bass of Hyannis Harbor on a daily basis. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle said the wrecks are stacked with big sea bass and scup.

 

Martha’s Vineyard

Around the Vineyard, the fishing for sea bass has been excellent. Scup too, according to Coop at Coop’s Bait and Tackle. The scup have been massive.

Stripers have been moving through Vineyard waters in waves, making the fishing very hot and cold said Coop. On Wednesday night, Coop tied into a 20-pounder himself, and he believes the striper fishing is on the upswing.

Bluefish action has been steady all over the island. Even when the bass fishing has been slow, bluefish have more than picked up the slack.

Weakfish are being caught on the Vineyard as well. Coop had head of a few anglers who had caught as many as 12 of these colorful fish.

 

Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report

The reports from Cape Cod Bay aren’t what you’d expect given the large body of stripers that moved through the Canal over the weekend. Dan at the Hook Up said there’s been good action on Brewster Flats with 26- to 28-inch fish, and there have been school-sized stripers on Billingsgate Shoal.

Inside Barnstable Harbor, some fish have been around according to Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle.

 

Bluefin Tuna Fishing Report

The first confirmed tuna catches on Cape Cod took place on Tuesday with one 67-incher caught by Hook-Up mate, Chris Kennedy on a spreader bar and another caught with Dom Petrarca aboard Coastal Charters Sportfishing on spinning tackle.

 

Freshwater Fishing Report

The trout action at Peter’s Pond is still top notch according to Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle. Powerbait is the top producer. Bass are also hitting well in Peters with shiners or Senkos working for them.

Barry at Red Top suggested fishing crankbaits for post-spawn largemouths around the Cape. He said that the herring-eating giants of 7 pounds and up have mostly moved back to deeper water, where they will be tough to find for the remainder of the season, yet there are plenty of 3- to 5-pound bass still hanging in shallow water.

Dan at the Hook Up has been doing well with trout and small largemouths by fishing shiners in mid-Cape ponds.

 

Best Bets for the Weekend

With heavy Southwest winds projected for the weekend, you better believe there will be a strong bluefish bite along the south side beaches. Metal lures and topwaters will be the best bets. There should be some stripers mixing in on these beaches as well.

If the winds allow a boat trip, Woods Hole or Bishops and Clerks reef would be the top picks for striped bass action. Live bunker will be the best bait, but soft plastics or poppers should take some fish as well.

Black sea bass and scup fishing doesn’t get much better, and if you can get on a boat on Buzzards Bay or in Vineyard Sound, you can expect fast action for these species. Remember that the black sea bass limits have changed to 4 fish per day at 14 inches or greater. Once you catch your sea bass limit, shift gears to fluke, as they have been around in good numbers as well.