Wednesday night, the wind shifted.  After blowing north for the better part of a week—blowing in wintry temperatures—the wind did a 180, bringing warm wet air to Cape Cod. To non-fishers, the wind shift meant little. To them, Thursday, though a little warmer, was just another lousy, rainy day in a lousy, rainy spring. To the fishermen, however, Thursday was the turning point.

A south wind at this time of year brings warmer air and water to the Cape, and following that warmer water will be the first schools of migratory striped bass.

That said, striped bass reports around Cape Cod are still slow, and that isn’t surprising given that the water temperatures in Nantucket Sound actually dropped two degrees this week.

Holdovers caught in the various backwaters and rivers still account for just about all of the stripers caught on Cape so far. Bass River and the Agawam River were both mentioned as producing some small holdovers this week. The holdover fishing hasn’t exactly been lock and load. Dan from the Hook Up in Orleans tried 10 different early season striper spots on Monday, and didn’t have as much as a hit.

There have been rumors of a single sea-lice covered fish taken somewhere along the South Side, though I wouldn’t put much stock in that.

On the South Coast, the fresh schoolies are now being caught with some regularity around Hicks Bridge in Westport and other areas according to the crew at CMS. Fairhaven, too, has had some fish according to Mike at M and D’s in Wareham.

There’s no word of stripers on Martha’s Vineyard just yet according to Coop at Coop’s Bait and Tackle. The bait, however, is in good supply. Herring, sand eels and even squid have been making a showing around the island.

Mike also reported some blackfish showing up in Buzzards Bay. AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods said a few tog have even ventured into the Canal, and fishermen dunking green crabs are picking off a few.

At the moment, freshwater fishing remains the best bet for action around the Cape. The trout fishing took a bit of a hit in this week’s cold water according to Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle.  Jeff reported a fresh batch of rainbows was introduced to the ponds this week, and as of Thursday, he hadn’t heard of anyone doing much catching. As the weather improves, Jeff expects the trout fishing to fire back up.  Best of all, Jeff says, with most fishermen focused on saltwater trout fishermen can have some of the best fishing of the year all to themselves.

Largemouth bass have been taking advantage of the big baitfish in the ponds right now. “Baitfish,” of course, is a relative term. Those trout I enjoy catching so much, fall under the “baitfish” category for big bass hunters. So do the herring entering the ponds from saltwater. Largemouth bass fishing is very good right now reported Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. Todd reported a few 7- and 8-pound fish taken this week around Cape Cod Ponds.

Big lures offer a good shot at hooking a big largemouth right now, but big shiners are even better reported Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle.

Jeff also mentioned that white perch have been providing some decent action for fishermen in the brackish ponds and rivers. Shiners are the best bait, but jigs will work, Jeff said.

Cape Cod & Buzzards Bay Fishing Forecast

Good striper fishing is days away.  Given the forecast and the reports to our south, I think South Coast and Cape Cod anglers can look forward to some good schoolie fishing before the end of the weekend. Bluefish aren’t out of the question either, as Todd at Falmouth Bait and Tackle pointed out. Some fish are riding the south wind to the shores of Cape Cod, and in next week’s forecast, we’ll be talking about where to find your first keeper of the season.

In the meantime, freshwater fishing is very good. The trout fishing slowed with the cold weather, but it’s picking back up.  Every week, more monster largemouths are caught. The fish are not spawning yet, and are still feeding heavily.