It seems like a couple new options swam into Cape waters this week, as fishermen tried to beat the heat by getting out on the water.

Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay

The fishing in the Canal tapered off big time after Tuesday. There had been a pretty reliable morning bite with several large fish taken, but according to Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle, the good tides have moved too late into the morning. Nevertheless, fishing overnight with jigs and eels is producing some good fish. Barry at Red Top in Buzzards Bay said several fish over 40 pounds were taken this past week, many during nighttime. You might not get many hits, Barry warned, but when you do hook up, there’s a good chance the fish will be a big one.

Fluke fishing is looking good in Buzzards Bay reported Mike from M and D’s in Wareham. Sand eels drifted in 25 feet of water has been the ticket. Hold the rod, Mike advised, as the hits have been soft, and fishermen leaving the rod in the rodholder are sure to miss the bite.

Keeper black sea bass can still be found in Buzzards Bay as well.

Snapper blues have popped up in a number of the Buzzards Bay Harbors as well. These fish are fun to catch on ultralight tackle and one of the best fluke baits out there.

Along the Elizabeth Islands, chunking with bunker is turning up good numbers of quality stripers. Unfortunately, the biggest challenge has been getting your hands on enough fresh bunker, as shops have been slow to restock and fast to sell out. Mike from M and D’s said there just haven’t been very many bunker around for the bait netters to catch. Call around to various shops to determine who has fresh bunker before heading out.

Cape Cod Bay

Billingsgate Shoals came up a number of times during this week’s calls. First to mention the fishing there was Barry at Red Top. He said good fish have been taken there this week. Eric Stewart at the Hook Up confirmed this report. According to Dave of Billingsgate Charters, the best bite has been taking place early in the morning. Dave also said that the 40-foot depths northeast of the Slew has been holding good stripers.

Barnstable Harbor has been giving up some stripers lately, and fishermen working the Plymouth shoreline are finding big bass and big bluefish reported Barry from Red Top.

South Side

Scup fishing is still a crowd pleaser on the south side of the Cape. With water temperatures climbing, there isn’t much more happening along the beaches on the South Side. Schoolie stripers are still feeding in the harbors and ponds, but for the best action, fish the late night or early morning when water temperatures have cooled a bit.

Boat fishermen are doing well, however. Chunks and eels are working for stripers off Gay Head on Martha’s Vineyard reported Coop at Coop’s Bait and Tackle. The shoals, such as Tom’s, Norton and Horseshoe are all holding bluefish, and big blues are feeding at the Hooter. The first bonito was caught this week, said Coop. The fish came from the Hooter.

Fluke fishing has been good around the Vineyard as well, with plentiful 16- to 18-inches and even a few doormats up to 9 pounds.

Lower Cape

With the opening of commercial striped bass season, the usual fleet is amassing off Chatham, but, on Wednesday at least, the big schools of teen-sized stripers were absent. Commercial boats worked hard to find a half-dozen or so commercial keepers (34 inches or better) apiece according to Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Early in the week, however, it seems as though the bite was better.

Diamond jigs with green tube tails have been the hot bait in Chatham as these are a close match to the sand eels that hold the fish in the area.

Seamus of Jailbreak Fishing Charters blamed the striper fishing slowdown on the calm conditions and weak tides. He expects the fishing to come back around soon.

Barry at Red Top said the fishing off Provincetown has been good. John at Nelson’s Bait and Tackle in Provincetown said it’s been more of a slow pick for the boats. The fish are there, John said, but they’ve been picky. The weak tides could be the culprit for the lockjawed bass. Stripers seem to feed heaviest around full and new moons when the currents are strongest. Good news for fishermen is that this weekend, the upcoming full moon will create some larger tides.

Bluefin Report

There are tuna being caught daily out of Chatham, but no big numbers. The fish are still running large, with fish to 78 inches hitting the deck this week. Eric Stewart at the Hook Up expects the big schools of small and medium size tuna to show up after the full moon.

Best Bets for the Weekend

This might be a good weekend to put shark fishing on the back-burner, unless you’re competing in the Monster Shark Tournament out in Oak Bluffs. The shark grounds are bound to be crowded this weekend, but if the weather allows, you’d be better off pushing farther offshore toward Veatch Canyon where the tuna and mahi bite was good early this week.

Bonito have arrived on Cape Cod, so trolling on the Hooter could get you into these fast, hard-fighting fish. If nothing else, you’ll catch all the big blues you can handle.

For stripers, heavy winds this weekend could reignite the Chatham bite, or put the P-Town bass back on the feed. The best bet right now seems to be Billingsgate Shoal right at first light. If you are shorebound, fish nights on the Canal. Jigs on the bottom will be your best bet to hook up.