It’s getting cold on Cape Cod, which is prompting anglers to break out the tip-ups and sleds in hopes of safe ice in the near future. Other fishermen are trying to sneak in some last open-water fishing before the big freeze. Either way, there should be a few good opportunities to check off that first fish of 2015 this weekend.
By Tuesday morning, skim ice was beginning to form on cranberry bogs and small ponds near the On The Water office. Larger ponds, however, remain open, and should stay that way at least through the weekend.
During last week’s unseasonable warmth, a few fishermen found good largemouth action around the Cape. Some ponds had water as warm as 43 degrees, and in these waters, bass up to 6 pounds were caught on suspending jerkbaits, shallow-diving crankbaits and swim jigs. The bass bite might be tough given the recent cold snap, but bringing along some live-shiners could help you secure your first bucketmouth of the year.
Trout will be much more active in the colder waters, and should still take lures with gusto. That said, switching over from spoons to small stickbaits or jigs could be a better option as even trout slow down when the water dips below 40 degrees. The Yo-Zuri Pins Minnow is a great coldwater choice. Small hair jigs can also be effective. For bait, small live shiners work best, but PowerBait may pick off a few rainbows.
The saltwater bite around the Cape is pretty quiet. There is a brackish water white perch bite in some of Cape Cod’s estuaries, but I’ve never been able to find this myself. The perch move in good-sized schools, so if you can find one, usually there are plenty nearby. Small jigs are effective, as are grass shrimp and worms. The upper reaches of baits would be a good place to start your search, but move around frequently until you locate the fish.
There are a few stripers that will celebrate the New Year here on the Cape. You can usually find them in the upper reaches of bays or rivers on the Cape Cod Bay and Nantucket Sound sides of the Cape. Small jigs or flies are effective on the holdover stripers.
If you are dead set on catching a fish for the dinner table, check out the Rhode Island report for the latest on the cod bite off Block Island. When the bite is on, it’s well worth the road trip down there to hop on a party boat. OTW’s Andy Nabreski fished on the Island Current this past Sunday, and came home with the pool, a 12-pound cod.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Live bait for largemouths or small lures for trout would be my pick for hooking the first fish of the New Year. A small group of anglers have made it a tradition to catch their first striper of the year on New Year’s Day, and I can’t think of a better way to kick off the new fishing season.