Striper fishing has been fantastic all around the Cape, and all signs point to more good fishing over the weekend.

Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay

Starting Monday, the Canal started to see more action as sea herring and then mackerel drew in some good-sized schools of stripers. Best of all, topwater plugs have been scoring, even with some big fish. Mike at M and D’s in Wareham caught word of a 43-pounder taken on a Left Hook Pencil Popper on Tuesday. Red Top has checked in a couple 40-plus-pound fish as well. Most fish have been running a good 15 pounds.

The fish have been a bit picky, but casting to breaking stripers has been resulting in hits. Stan at Red Top Tackle in Wareham suggested Daiwa SP Minnows and Savage Manic Prey Minnows to fool the bass.

Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle said the action has been spread throughout the Canal, not just in any  one place.  The action hasn’t been limited to the morning’s either. Good fish have been taken in the afternoons as well.

Buzzards Bay has been quiet in regard to striper action, but it’s been rich with bottom fish like fluke, black sea bass and scup. Anglers are still scratching up big 5-pound plus sea bass. Mike at M and D’s in Wareham recommends using jigs tipped with bait or Berkley Gulp over standard bottom rigs to tempt the larger sea bass.

The scup have been running large as well, with some specimens hitting 3 pounds or more.

Sam at Bucko’s Bait and Tackle in Fall River reported lots of scup from Stonebridge to Bicentennial Park on Fall River. There have also been some 40-inch stripers in the upper reaches of Fall River, but lately, more have been moving out towardthe Sakonnet Point area. Around Sakonnet, the bass have been joining big schools of bluefish.

Cape Cod Bay and Lower Cape

Fast action at Race Point continues, and it isn’t just the boats getting in on the action. Stripers have been pushing sea herring onto the beach on nearly a daily basis, but the trick is finding the right beach at the right time, said John at Nelson’s Bait and Tackle in Provincetown. John said the fish aren’t following a discernible pattern regarding tide or time or day, but just seem to be following the herring and feeding at will. The fish have been reliably holding close to shore, making for some of the best surfcasting at Race Point in a couple years.

Bass pushing herring up onto the surface off the Outer Cape this week. Video courtesy of Nelson’s Bait & Tackle.

The fish are good sized, 30 inches and up, with some up to 28 pounds being caught. John said as far down as Long Nook anglers are hooking good-sized stripers.

Cape Cod Bay has been slow, however. There hasn’t been much talk of striper fishing there other than a few scattered fish according to a report from Sports Port in Hyannis. The good news is, the fish angler have been finding in the Bay have been large. Plus, any increase in striper activity in the Canal usually precedes good fishing in Cape Cod Bay during this time of year, so in the next few days, the Cape Cod Bay fishing could pick up.

South Side Cape Cod Fishing Report

Right on time, the Monomoy Rips have filled up with bass to 20 pounds. Anglers have been enjoying great action at the Point Rip according to Eric Stewart at The Hook Up in Orleans. Bluefish have been thick around Chatham too, with tons of small blues having at the Chatham Cut. Seamus of Jailbreak Charters echoed the excellent bass action south of Monomoy, saying jigging has been the hot ticket, but surface plugs have been producing as well.

For big bass on the South Side, live scup have been producing lately according to Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. At Forestdale Bait and Tackle in Sandwich, there was word of stripers up to 44 inches taking live scup at Mutton Shoal. Chunking has also been responsible for several large bass around the Vineyard.

Bluefish are hot and heavy off the south side of the Cape, with Oregon Beach being the scene of a bluefish blitz this week according to the folks at Forestdale. Popponesset has also had bluefish. If you are looking for bigger blues, the boys at Sports Port in Hyannis recommend Bishops and Clerks.

For bottom fishing, Lucas Shoal has tons of fluke, and even some keepers. Mixed in with the fluke have been big sea bass and sea robins. There have even been some keeper fluke showing up in the salt ponds and rivers on the South Side.

On Martha’s Vineyard, Coop at Coop’s Bait and Tackle reported tons of bluefish around the island, especially at Chappaquiddick, where they have been mixing in with stripers.

Striper fishing on Martha’s Vineyard has been good, and fish over 20 pounds have been reported taken from shore this week. Bass have also showed on Middle Ground, where they have been chasing squid.

Hickory shad have been providing a fun light-tackle option on the Vineyard as well. Coop had quite the surprise while fighting a hickory shad on his fly rod this week, when a big bass swam up and ate his shad.

Bluefin Tuna Fishing Report

Big tides and a bright moon made the bluefin picky, but the bite is slowly starting to improve. There was a 70-incher taken off Chatham today and a 68-incher caught off Peaked Hill earlier in the week. Eric Stewart of The Hook Up remains optimistic that another wave of tuna is on the way. Unfortunately, tough winds may take tuna fishing off the plate this weekend.

Freshwater Fishing Report

Freshwater fishing hasn’t missed a beat since March. Trout are still hitting PowerBait hard according to Forestdale Bait and Tackle, while shiners and lures are doing the trick with largemouths and pickerel. There were some big pickerel caught this week according to Forestdale Bait and Tackle.

Best Bets for the Weekend

I would be honestly torn between the Canal and Race Point for my surfcasting adventures. The reports of the Race Point blitzes have included descriptions of bass bumping into fishermen’s legs and baitfish beaching themselves to get away from the ravenous bass. Meanwhile the canal has some topwater action on potentially large fish.

If trophy hunting from a boat, spend some time filling the livewell with frisky, legal-sized scup. Big bass in Vineyard sound have been biting best on these spiny panfish. Fall River and Sakonnet Point is another good place to look for big bass right now.

For bottom fishing, if the winds allow, Buzzards Bay will be the spot for big sea bass or scup. Lucas Shoal will be the fluke hotspot.

Bluefin probably aren’t in the cards this weekend, but make the most of it by hitting the surf or doing some freshwater fishing for trout or bass.