Pretty much overnight, the albie fishing on Cape Cod went from ice cold to red hot. Over the weekend, anglers were lamenting the albie drought, and by Thursday morning, reports were flooding in of boats connecting with these neon green speedsters.

South Side Cape Cod Fishing Report

Wednesday morning, we got a call in the On The Water office about albies showing up, in numbers, off South Cape Beach. Kevin Blinkoff and I loaded up the kayaks on our lunch breaks and hit the water right after closing time to find…nothing. Worrying that the albie report could have been a rogue school, we checked a few more spots before Kevin spotted a flock of gulls low to the water and below them, a school of what could only be false albacore slicing and dicing the surface. Within 30 minutes, my drag was singing as the first albie of the season hit the afterburners.

The albie action is pretty spread out. Fishermen in Woods Hole, Falmouth Heights, off Waquoit, off Cotuit and on Succonesset Shoal. The albies seemed more concentrated the farther east you went, but so were the boats.

The fish have been hitting metals and soft-plastic lures, but they can be finicky. Thursday morning, I took the kayak out before work and found plenty of albies, but no takers, even when my ¾-ounce Deadly Dick swam right through a school of breaking fish. Meanwhile, a few miles away, Chris Parisi and his fiancé brought double digits to the boat. No wonder these fish drive fishermen crazy!

Also on the South Side, some bigger bluefish are starting to show, reported Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle in Sandwich. Schoolie stripers are stacked in some of the bays, such as Popponesset, where big schools of small baitfish are holding the 18- to 26-inch stripers. Some better bass are showing in Cotuit, Jeff said, with 28- to 34-inch fish being caught.

Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle said a few fishermen even found keeper stripers around the albie schools, as 30 inch bass filled up on the same bait the false albacore were eating.

Snapper blues are still around in big numbers. Some schools can be seen blitzing off the South Side, while more fish are terrorizing the local spearing population in the harbors and ponds.

Cape Cod Canal Fishing Report

Things are still on the slow side this week in the Canal. A few big fish were caught this week, but mostly under the cover of darkness on eels or plugs. AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay is optimistic that the weekend tides will bring in some more bass.

Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report

The school of big fish that has been bouncing between the East End of the Canal and Barnstable Harbor seems to be thinning out. Surely, some fish have headed south and a lot of fish were harvested, but there are still some bass out there to be caught. Over the weekend, one boat angler fishing eels took a 50-pounder in the Bay. Tube-and-worm trollers also had good action last weekend.

Dan at The Hook Up in Orleans found more good bottom fishing action in Cape Cod Bay, catching 45 sea bass outside of Barnstable Harbor. The striper fleet, he said, consisted of some 60 or more boats, none of which appeared to be hooking up while Dan was fishing.

AJ at Red Top said the Cape Cod Bay bass bite has been good, with some action even extending over toward Plymouth. Eels have been the hot ticket.

Buzzards Bay Fishing Report

The water is a bit warm yet for consistent action with bass and blues, said AJ, but sea bass, scup and even blackfish action is very good in Buzzards Bay right now. Snapper blues are still stacked in the harbors, and blue crabbing is at its seasonal peak, with some of the biggest crabs of the year out and about right now.

The Elizabeth Island are producing consistent action, reported Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Bunker chunks and eels are the best bet right now. The fish aren’t huge Christian said, but still a fun size, with many around 15 pounds. A group from OTW boat fished around Cuttyhunk last weekend and found bass to 31 pounds casting eels in the rocks.

Lower Cape Fishing Report

Dan at the Hook Up heard the bite was heating up at Race Point and Jim at Nelson’s Bait and Tackle in Provincetown confirmed. Jim said surf fishermen are using needlefish and swimming plugs to catch stripers to 30 pounds in the waters around P-Town. Night time is your best bet right now. During the day, bluefish are biting well, so well, that boat fishermen have been having difficulty getting through them to the stripers reported Jim. If you can’t beat the blues, might as well enjoy catching them. Vertical jigging or casting Slug-Gos has been the ticket with the bass and blues for boat and kayak anglers in Provincetown.

There hasn’t been too much to report on the Outer Beaches, although with few anglers fishing them, that’s not to say there aren’t fish out there. If you can find some structure that isn’t overwhelmed by seals, there’s no question, you’ll find stripers. After all, it’s September—each tide has the potential to bring in a big school of stripers.

Bluefin Fishing Report

The bite is still going strong at the Regal Sword, and nonexistent just about everywhere else. Dan at the Hook Up said trolling and jigging have been working lately. Eric Stewart went 2 for 3 on bluefin yesterday, after switch tactics from trolling spreader bars to trolling ballyhoo. Jig fishermen have been racking up some impressive scores on tuna.

Canyons Report

Rough weather early in the week kept the canyon boats in the slips until Wednesday. A number of boats headed for the bluewater Wednesday and Thursday, including a film crew from OTW TV. We’ll post an update as they come in. AJ at Red Top said south of the Dump has some nice water, and likely some yellowfin.

Freshwater Fishing Report

The bass bite is still great. Lots of largemouth bass are being caught in Cape ponds reported Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Smallmouth are getting more active as cool nights drop the water temperatures.

Trout fishing is looking good as well. Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle weighed a 4-pound brown trout taken out of Peter’s Pond on a shiner this past week.

Best Bets for the Weekend

I’m holding out hope the albies aren’t going anywhere soon, and I get another few cracks at them. They are top on my list this weekend, especially with the striper fishing a little stagnant at the moment.

Race Point would be my pick for the surf crowd, but the South Side beaches are worth a look as well. There’s plenty of bait on the South Side, and a number of schoolie stripers feeding on it.

Boat fishermen hunting for bass will find them along the Elizabeths. Bring eels and chunks for the best odds of success.