If you haven’t yet hit the water this year, what are you waiting for? Freshwater fishing around the Cape and Southeast Massachusetts has been spectacular, and it won’t be long before the saltwater follows suit.

Trout were the most talked about species this week. Big rainbows are biting well at the mid-Cape ponds like Sheep and Cliff according to Captain Rich at The Hook Up in Orleans. PowerBait is tough to beat, Rich said, but shiners and spoons are catching fish as well.

Around the Upper Cape, brook trout continued to dominate the catch this week, although the fishing slowed a little from last week. Not to worry though, more trout are being stocked on a weekly basis right through Memorial Day.

The shallow ponds have been warming up pretty quickly, and all sorts of wildlife has been waking up from their winter slumber. The spring peepers have been providing the background music to evenings on the water, and painted and snapper turtles have been spotted in a number of ponds, and herons and ospreys have been fattening up on fish that linger too close to the surface.

None of the shops had heard many reports on the freshwater bass fishing this week, but I do have some firsthand reports from fishermen around the On The Water office. In smaller ponds, the bass bite is on big time. Fish are active and moving into shallow water to feed. Matt Rissell and Ian Crowley fished an Upper Cape pond with shiners and had fast action with bass up to 5 pounds. Ryan Bibeau and I fished two different ponds this week. One larger, deeper pond produced only two 8-inch bass, while a smaller, shallower pond yielded good numbers of 2- to 4-pound bass on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs. Chris Parisi found some small pond bass sitting right next to the bank, where they eagerly attacked jigs cast almost onto shore.

Many of the bass ponds also have pickerel, and they too are aggressively feeding, providing a fun bonus to a day spent targeting bass.

Herring are starting to fill up the runs as they head for their freshwater spawning grounds. As of yet, there have been no migratory striped bass reported with the herring, but Mike at M and D’s in Wareham thinks the first schoolies should arrive within the next two weeks.

On the South Coast, Eric at CMS Tackle in New Bedford has been seeing plenty of herring in the runs, but other than the occasional holdover striper, there has been no striper activity. It won’t be long though, he said.

Both Eric and Mike said they have had anglers stop in looking to buy green crabs, which could mean that tog are starting to move back into our waters. Tog head to deeper water in the winter and move shallow in the spring as they prepare to spawn in back bays in late spring/early summer. Taking a look at wrecks and structure in the 40- to 60-foot depths might not be a bad idea for picking up a couple tog.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod & Buzzards Bay

This week’s warm weather has really put the largemouth bass in a feeding mood. Look for them to be hugging the banks, and try casting jigs, Senko worms or spinnerbaits. If things really warm up by the end of the weekend, topwaters might even be a viable option.

Trout fishing continues to be good. I heard reports that trout are getting wise to artificials, so it’s a good idea to bring some bait as a backup plan. PowerBait is the best choice for rainbows, but for bigger browns, worms or shiners are best.

Don’t overlook the panfish either. Bluegills are active, and will take a piece of worm or tiny jig. Perch are biting well also, and in the few ponds of Southeastern Massachusetts that hold the, crappie are feeding heavily, especially right before dark.