Old Man Winter has once again hit the pause button on the Cape Cod ice-fishing season.

Reports from last weekend were mixed, but most fishermen reported slow fishing through the ice. Dan from The Hook Up reported that when he and his group hit the ice on Sheep’s Pond Saturday morning they had five inches of solid freeze under their boots. By 10:30, the ice was thinning enough to chase the crew off the lake. The fact that they’d caught zero fish up to that point helped with the decision to split.

Dan checked some more small ponds around the middle Cape and didn’t find any more ice he felt comfortable fishing. At one pond, Dan saw a sizeable break in the ice where it appeared someone had gone through.

A crew from On The Water hit the ice on Saturday morning, and despite blanketing a cove with traps, only a few small bass were willing biters.

Tom at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay reported plenty of ice fishing for trout, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. John’s Pond in Mashpee, Mary’s Pond in Rochester and Sandy Pond in Plymouth were Tom’s picks for the top producing ponds, but this week’s weather has softened the ice all over, so be sure to check and double check the ice before heading out.

According to the forecast, we’re going back into ice-making mode on Thursday, with daytime highs in the 20s, and nighttime lows in the teens. Will that put ice-fishing back on the menu for Cape anglers? Maybe. Check your local ponds Friday after work to determine whether or not there will be enough ice to support fishing on Saturday. I wouldn’t consider walking on anything less than 5 inches. With the snow, rain and regular thawing and freezing, the strong black ice is ancient history, leaving honeycombed ice, that can vary widely in thickness and stability over a pond.

Best Bets for the Weekend

Escape the ice/open water limbo and take a road trip. Check out Ron Powers’ Massachusetts report and Will Sirotnak’s Connecticut and Rhode Island report. Ice fishing in Central and Western MA or cod fishing in Rhode Island could help you get your fishing fix while waiting for the Cape ponds to thaw or freeze. Also, be sure to drop by the Cape Cod Boat Builder’s Show in Hyannis, which runs from Friday to Sunday and features over 50 local exhibitors.