Many fishermen spent this past Sunday with their fathers or sons, but none came away with as incredible a catch as the three generations of Salvadors, lead by John Salvador, off Provincetown. The fishermen were picking away at stripers by trolling umbrella rigs on wire line when something a little bigger latched on. Two hours later, John Salvador, his son, and his father were securing a tail rope on a 669-pound bluefin tuna.
Fish stories aside, the full moon makes this weekend promising for striped bass anglers, but challenging for bluefin hopefuls. Bottom fishing remains the best way to put some fillets on the table.
Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report
The word from all the canal-side tackle shops was the same—striper fishing is slow. Last year, anglers were treated to near daily surface action in the canal, but this year, it’s been quite a different story. Mike from M and D’s in Wareham pronounced the canal fishing this week as “dead.”
Truthfully, the canal is not entirely devoid of bass. Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle recommended fishing at night, with jigs. Red Top recommended the Savage Gear Sand Eels. Fishermen trying their luck after nightfall, particularly from the Herring Run east, have been running into some good-sized stripers.
But if you adjust your sites a bit, there is one good reason to hit the canal—a big toothy one. Bluefish from 2 to 15 pounds are feeding in the canal in good numbers. The afternoon west tide turn has turned on the blues the past few days according to the boys at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay. The fish are striking topwaters as well as metal lures and swimming plugs.
Buzzards Bay bottom fishing is still top notch. I had a chance to experience it myself this weekend, and had a blast catching 1- to 2-kilogram sea bass on light tackle with jigs. Due to a digital scale malfunction (or user error) we were forced to take our sea bass weight readings in kilos. A rough conversion put the sea bass between 3 and 4 pounds. There are still huge 6-plus-pound sea bass being caught in Buzzards Bay.
successful morning at the ditch.
Sea bass have been so plentiful, Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle said he even heard a report of them feeding on the surface. While fishing for sea bass, our group of three managed a half-dozen fluke, with two measuring more than 20 inches. Anglers making a targeted effort at the flatfish are putting together even more impressive catches. The biggest summer flounder to hit the scales at Red Top this week checked in at 6 pounds.
Mike at M and D’s reported big schools of 3- to 5-pound bluefish roving around Buzzards Bay from the West End of the Canal down to Cleveland Ledge. The fish are hitting just about anything you can get in front of them, making them a blast on light tackle. After catching their fill of the blues, fishermen are sending lures below the feeding choppers for a shot at keeper-sized stripers. One angler fishing under the blues got quite the surprise when a 15-plus-pound weakfish latched on.
Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report
Small stripers are dominating the scene in Barnstable Harbor according to Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle in Sandwich. Surprisingly, that was the only news on the Cape Cod Bay fishing from the shops this week.
South Side and Islands Fishing Report
“Tons of bluefish,” reported Todd from Falmouth Bait and Tackle. The fish range from the small 2-pounders to tackle-wrecking 12-pounders. Jeff from Forestdale said that the bigger bluefish are holding farther out. Horseshoe Shoal and Wasque are two of the best spots for big blues right now.
Stripers seem to be thinning out a bit in Vineyard Sound, but Nantucket Sound is still giving up some good bass. Jeff said fish are still being caught in Cotuit and Popponesset.
Bishops and Clerks is holding good numbers of keepers according to the report from Sports Port in Hyannis. The crew at Sports Port said there are still bass and bluefish hitting the beaches as well. Sebile lures are working for the bass from the beach, but Kastmasters, Hopkins and topwater poppers are tempting fish as well.
Scup fishing is great off the South Side, same with sea bass. There hasn’t been much word of fluke fishing on the Cape side, but according to Coop of Coop’s Bait and Tackle on Martha’s Vineyard, the fluke fishing is firing up. Middle Ground and Lucas Shoal are the best bets for a keeper flatfish right now.
Bluefish are thick on Martha’s Vineyard, and striper fishing is good. Coop recommended throwing needlefish, darters and Yo-Zuri swimming plugs in light colors after dark. Stripers seem to prefer lighter color lures on bright moon nights.
Outer Cape Fishing Report
Big schools of surface-feeding stripers have popped up off the Outer Cape from Head of the Meadow Beach up to Race Point. Boat fishermen have been enjoying great action with these stripers. Some of the bass weigh as much as 25 pounds. Topwater lures are working during the blitzes, but when the fish aren’t showing, diamond jigs or soft plastics are the ticket. Trolling wire line and jigs has been productive as well.
Rich at Nelsons Bait & Tackle in Provincetown reported keeper stripers coming from the Provincetown Beaches. One angler was using a fresh sand eel fished behind an egg sinker to hook up.
The waters off Herring Cove have been producing good bass lately as well. Kayakers and boaters alike are getting in on the action.
Bluefin Tuna Fishing Report
It’s been a slow week on the bluefin front. Captain Eric Stewart had a 73-incher on Monday, but the tuna have been few and far between since.
Many captains blame the full moon for putting a damper on the bluefin bite, suggesting the brighter nights allow the tuna to feed after dark, limiting their activity in the daylight. Others feel the strong tides brought by the full moon slow down the bluefin bite. Either way, if you go tuna fishing this weekend, have a good backup plan. The striper bite off the backside of the Cape could turn a slow day into a great one very quickly.
Freshwater Fishing Report
The freshwater fishing is unchanged. Trout are still biting very well, and even shore anglers are still catching.
Largemouth fishing is still great. With lilypads and weeds up in most ponds, anglers are having good luck fishing hollow-body frogs. Largemouths go crazy over these topwater baits, attacking them just like a striper attacks a pencil popper. If the stripers don’t cooperate, this is a nice change of pace.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The Outer Cape is the striper hotspot this weekend. The weather looks great for a day on the water, so head out there looking for surface activity, but be prepared to switch to jigging if the fish are holding deep.
Though they might not be your top pick, bluefish will be plenty willing to please in Buzzards Bay and off the South Side this weekend. Scale down your tackle and have fun catching these spirited fighters. When you find a bluefish school, try fishing near the bottom, below the blues. You might just be rewarded with a striper—or something else!
We’re fast approaching “breaking” tides in the Canal once again, and even though the fishing was very slow this week, it could turn around by Monday.
soft plastic 7.5 sand eels doing damage but all in all slow fishing
Yup fluke fishing has been firing up on Vineyard sound. Went out everyday this week and Thursday finally posed great action. Commercial fishing was the business and it was slow until Thursday. The morning bite was on fire on the outgoing tide making drifts over Lucas. Steady pick but the fish were smaller, but all in all the action was great. Just use heavy mono leaders 50-80lb test to get it through the the chompers.
-Andrew
How are the tube and worm tactics working out.
caught 10 keeper stripers chunking in quicks hole. one fish was 30lbs.
What’s the word off monomoy/Chatham?
How has billingsgate; bass? Any blues in wellfleet harbor yet?Taking my buddies kids out next week and report has nothing written on it!
Started out at Herring Cove at 6:30AM on 6/21. There was a very large school of bait getting beaten up out several hundred yards from shore and the boats were right on top of them, getting fish. I moved to Race Point at 8AM and saw the same kind of activity, but much closer to shore. After 20 minutes though, the school got past the armada of boats that had been chasing it and the whole mass came straight at the shore. There were hundreds of thrashing stripers feeding right at the water’s edge.
I caught 3 fish, all between 39″ and 40″ before 9AM. One took a red and white pencil popper and the other two grabbed at a 2 ounce Sea Striker Popeye Buck Tail jig, although I swear they might have hit an #04 hook with a piece of yarn tied to it just as easily. These were very thick fish and while I didn’t weigh any of them, they all looked to be in the 25 pound range.
6/22, I made the rounds at Race Point at around 6:45AM, but there was no action at all (in spite of the presence of a couple of good sized schools of bait about 40-50 feet offshore) and I left at 9:30. I did spot a couple of bass rising on 6/23 – one at 7AM and another an hour and a half later at Race Point. No strikes though and no other indications of feeding, although there was an enormous amount of bait hugging the shoreline.
The minus tides we have been getting in the three bays, has produced some great fishing for all those who venture out. Average keepers have ranged in the 30 to 34′ range. The spring cows, who were crabbing for most of the month have moved up the coast. But as the say in the bays…”every tide is different, and no two days the same!”
Tight lines,
Waleye.