Hopefully you haven’t put your striper gear away just yet.  Schoolies and some bigger fish are still being caught all around the Cape.

Cape Cod Canal

Plenty of small stripers feeding in the mornings in the Canal. The East End has been a late-morning hotspot, but schools are surfacing throughout the length of the big ditch. The schoolies haven’t been too picky, and have been hitting jigs, poppers and swimmers. For larger fish, it seems to be a matter of weeding through the schoolies. Fishing first light or in the dark should provide a shot at a larger fish. Bait like cut bunker or eels could also weed out a larger fish.

Buzzards Bay

Boat fishermen are finding some bluefish in upper Buzzards Bay working the waters off Wing’s Neck reported Stan at Red Top. Blackfish are the primary target in the bay right now. Green crabs are the best bet, and several shops are still stocking them.

Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle echoed the solid tog fishing, saying that the blackfish bite is getting even better.

South Side

The Bass and Herring rivers are still filled with small stripers, that have shown no inclination toward leaving just yet according to Lee at Riverview Bait and Tackle. Small jigs and plugs will work best for these bass.

Bishops and Clerks Reef is still producing tog and sea bass, but as of Halloween, the sea bass will have to be thrown back, as the season is closed.

Stan at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay heard of bluefish and stripers running the south side beaches. Bill at Sports Port in Hyannis reported that Popponesset and Loop Beach had good striper action this week.

Around the Vineyard, there some little stripers and bluefish reported Coop at Coop’s Bait & Tackle. The squid just showed up, however, and Coop is optimistic that this might bring some bigger fish into the island.

False albacore fishing is finished for the year, Coop said, but bonito are still showing off Squibnocket and around Nomans. Tog fishing around the Vineyard is also very good.

Lower Cape and Cape Cod Bay

Small stripers continue to run the surf line at Nauset, probably all the way up to the Race. Harbors are holding fish, some keeper-sized, in Cape Cod Bay, while short fish are popping up along the shorelines.

Blitzes of stripers are occasionally hitting the beach in Plymouth, and these fish could be headed for the East End of the Canal.  Like most of the fish around right now, these fish are mostly shorts.

Bluefin Tuna

The bluefin are still popping up just off Chatham, but they are picky in the shallow water. Christian from Falmouth Bait and Tackle reported decent tuna fishing between the BB Buoy and the Regal Sword. Eric Stewart of The Hook Up in Orleans connected with a 56-inch tuna on Tuesday.

Fish Chatham Charters also reported that the Sword and BB Buoy have been holding bluefin, along with the area 4-5 miles off Chatham Light. They’ve found krill, small butterfish, and sand eels in the stomachs of the tuna caught this week.

Freshwater

The freshwater fishing is excellent. Some very large largemouths were caught this week. Drop-shotting was cited as one of the top tactics by Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Jerkbaits are also productive, as are jigs.

Trout fishing is great. Simply hit a trout pond and throw spinners and spoons while walking the shoreline. You shouldn’t have to walk too far before connecting with a few rainbows. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle reported a few big browns being caught already. Live shiners will be your best bet to tempt the big browns, but a larger spoon or stickbait could work as well.  My largest ever brown trout, a 24-incher, hit a ¼-ounce Kastmaster in Cliff Pond in the late fall.

While they don’t get much press until ice time, the pike in Wequaquet will be getting more active in these cooler temperatures, offering a shot at a freshwater trophy. If nothing else, you’ll probably stick a few nice bass while hunting the pike.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Taking a couple hours to hunt for a daytime striper blitz could be good on this overcast weekend. The fish are feeding heavily on all sorts of baitfish, often under a good flock of birds.  Keep your eyes peeled for the birds and be ready to move.  Most blitzes seem to be happening in the Canal or in Cape Cod Bay, along the Plymouth shoreline. This doesn’t mean there aren’t fish moving along the south side.  The heavy south wind forecasted could push some bait and bluefish, and maybe stripers, right to the Cape’s southern beaches.

When the winds lie down, a tog-fishing mission is a great way to find some fast action and good eating. Rockpiles, reefs and wrecks will all be crawling with tog right now. Shore anglers can even catch them along jetties, boulderfields and in the Canal.

Freshwater fishing is great too.  A dozen shiners could put you into big bass and pickerel or a shot at a big brown trout, depending on where you swim them. Change bass tactics to those more suitable for the colder water.

For trout, going after dark may be the best bet for a big holdover, but covering ground in the daylight with small spoons or bait should provide plenty of action.