Another deep freeze has Cape Cod ice fishermen getting their tip-ups ready. Last week’s relative heat wave melted the ice along the edges of most Cape ponds, but by Thursday, those edges were being shored up.

So this weekend, ice is on the agenda again. At Red Top in Buzzards Bay, some monster panfish have been checked in recently, including a 2 ½-pound crappie that hit a shiner. AJ also reported good bass, pickerel and perch fishing through the ice. Smaller ponds are the best bet right now, as most larger bodies of water are too iffy for anglers consider fishing.

The crew at Falmouth Bait and Tackle hit the road to Rhode Island for some cod fishing last week. They did well, catching enough keeper cod for everyone to go home with fillets. Christian also mentioned that there were lots of ling mixed in with the cod. Locally, fishermen were getting out on Cape ice as of Thursday, reported Christian.

Dan at The Hook Up was hoping to hit the ice on Monday, but it wasn’t to be as none of the mid-Cape ponds he checked had ice around the edges. The ice in the middle, however, looked pretty sturdy to Dan, so once the edges re-freeze (By Sunday, Dan predicts) ice fishing will be back on. Dan had heard of some ice fishing happening Thursday, with one customer reporting 6 inches of ice on a mid-Cape pond.

Best Bets for the Weekend

If you’re planning to stay on Cape, it’s ice or nothing. Small ponds will have the thickest ice, but if the deep freeze continues, some larger ponds might be a viable option by the end of the weekend.

If you’ve had enough of frozen water, as I have, a trip to Rhode Island for a party boat cod trip or to Connecticut for some holdover stripers, might be just what the doctor ordered. Check out the CT/RI Report to get the scoop on the fishing down there.