Even with warming waters the striper fishing on Cape Cod is excellent right now. Bottom fishing is strong, and while tuna fishing has slowed down again, it could turn around very quickly.

Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay

Big stripers have been feeding in the Canal every morning . Sebile Stick Shadds and Magic Swimmers, along with topwater pencil poppers, have accounted for stripers as large as 40 pounds this week. Jill from Red Top said the best action has been from mid-Canal to the East End. Mike from M and D’s in Wareham said some  good fish have also been taken around the railroad bridge in the West End.

Boat fishermen are finding big stripers in Cape Cod Bay by trolling from outside the East End of the Canal to Barnstable Harbor. Chunks of mackerel fished in Barnstable Harbor has been producing good stripers as well.

Inside the harbor, light tackle and fly fishermen have been catching schoolie stripers with sand eel imitations and small, skinny soft plastics.

Brewster Flats are still fishing well with lots of fish to 30 inches. Once again, lures or flies that imitate sand eels are working best.

Bluefish are still around, but not in big numbers. This time of year, many adult bluefish head offshore to spawn, and the bite slows down for a couple weeks.

Fishermen casting sand eels from shore are connecting with keeper summer flounder in the Canal as well reported Mike from M and D’s.

The Target Ship in Cape Cod Bay has been producing some good-sized black sea bass lately according to Dan at The Hook Up in Orleans.

Buzzards Bay Fishing Report

Warming water has sent the big sea bass packing after a nice spring season, reported Mike at M and D’s. Scup are still around in good numbers. There are big numbers of scup in Fall River from Tiverton to Stone Bridge. Surprisingly enough, there are still good numbers of big stripers in the river. Fish to 30 pounds were taken this week reported Sam from Buckos.

Mount Hope is loaded with good stripers. Drifting with bunker chunks has been the best tactic for taking these fish.

Fluke fishing in Buzzards Bay has been slow.

South Side

As the water in Vineyard and Nantucket sounds has warmed, catching a keeper-sized striper has become more difficult reported Jeff from Forestdale Bait and Tackle in Sandwich. Shore anglers can count on good-sized scup around Cotuit, Waquoit and Popponesset.

Boats are still finding big bass. Live scup and chunked bunker produced fish to 46 pounds this week reported Todd from Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Eels at night have also been working for boat fishermen in Vineyard Sound.

Fishing for bluefish isn’t red hot, but there are still a few around off the South Side.

Fluke fishing, as with most spots around the Cape, has been slow off the South Side.

Lower Cape Fishing Report

The waters off Chatham and the Monomoy Rips are stacked with striped bass. Some fish have even set up outside Nauset Inlet reported Jeff from Forestdale Bait and Tackle. In the rips, casting soft plastics and topwaters has been productive, but for deeper water bass, diamond jigs have been working.

Off Race Point, schools of juvenile sea herring have kept the stripers around in big numbers, sometimes blitzing on the surface. The report from Nelsons said both vertical jigging and casting topwaters has been working for the bass. The stripers have been running big at the tip of the Cape, some bigger than 30 pounds. Even beach fishermen are getting in on the action.

Bluefin

Tuna fishing slowed again this week. The stronger tides as a result of the new moon could be the reason for the tuna slowdown. Dan at the Hook Up said Captain Eric Stewart spentthe day trolling east of Chatham on Tuesday, and had just one fish hit, but it spit the hook soon after.

Freshwater

The freshwater action has slowed in the middle of the day with the heat. Bass have hunkered down under lily pads and other vegetation to escape the sun, but in the afternoon as the sun dips toward the horizon, the fishing picks right back up. Dan at the Hook Up said he’s been doing very well with shiners at dusk. Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle said anglers using live bait at the ponds are routinely catching 5-pound bass.

Best Bets for the Weekend

If you’re looking for a striper from shore this weekend, be prepared to lose a little sleep. The good fishing in the Canal is happening bright and early, and the best fishing happening on the Outer Cape beaches is taking place after dark.

Boat fishermen have more options when it comes to bass. From the good chunk bite in Fall River, Mount Hope Bay and Vineyard Sound to the topwater fishing in the Monomoy Rips and off Race Point to the trolling in Cape Cod Bay, boaters from every port around the Cape stand a good chance to hook up this weekend.

Grabbing a bucket of shiners and taking in a sunset on a nearby pond should be high on your list this weekend as well. There is a good chance you’ll tie into a bass heavier than 5 pounds doing just that.