The stripers have arrived on Cape Cod—sort of. Fishermen on Martha’s Vineyard reported catching fresh striped bass this week, sea lice and all. It should only be a matter of days before the bass make landfall on the Cape’s south side.
The herring runs are loaded up with these baitfish, even the Canal run, reported AJ at Red Top.
No word of tog yet, but the dandelions are out. It’s worth a look this weekend if you can get seaworms or green crabs.
The commercial squid season opened this week, but one of the draggers reported an empty haul and cold water.
In the meantime, while we wait for the saltwater fishing to pick up, the freshwater fishing continues to be excellent. Goose Hummock weighed in an 8-pound, 5-ounce largemouth this week caught on a shiner in Eastham. Dan from the Goose took some shiners to his favorite ponds in the mid and lower Cape and caught several bass over 5 pounds. The bass he said, were chasing around the arriving herring and immediately struck at the large live shiners.
The largemouth fishing is finally picking up in the deeper kettle ponds reported Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle, giving anglers more options when chasing bucketmouths. The lunker largemouths in the deeper ponds are the ones that make meals of stocked trout, so using a swimbait to imitate the stockies is a good way to hook a monster.
Speaking of trout, that fishing couldn’t be better. Jeff heard that Peters received a stocking of 1,000 (yes, one thousand!) rainbows this week, 500 at each ramp. Other pond were stocked as well, including Mashpee-Wakeby, Jeff said.
Rainbows can’t help themselves when they pass a piece of PowerBait, especially just after being stocked, so the dough will be your best bait this weekend.
AJ at Red Top got into some mixed-bag action fishing shiners this weekend, catching largemouth bass, perch, crappie, and a big bullhead while dunking shiners this week.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The ponds are lit up with trout, bass, pickerel and panfish. The saltwater is showing signs of life, but it will still be a little before the action is hot and heavy. Start out May by hitting the freshwater with some shiners and you just may catch your biggest largemouth of the year.
Hit the Canal caught nothing, “YET!!”
I am so jazzed to go hook into some stripers!!!
Jeff, suggestions in MA to hit those stripers this weekend?
Caught and released over two dozen Browns this week. All were in the three pound range. Along w numerous rainbows in Manomet.
Thumbs up to “The Mass Wildlife.” In Sandwich.
Great stocking this year.
Eddie P
stripers galore at the canal this morning. The season has officially started finally
Yeah sure you must work at the bait shop
I hit johnsons in raynham on Friday caught 5 bows that waid in over 3 pound. They where the biggest trout I’ve ever seen.
Good luck
And tight lines
Normally I have my first striper of the year but not this year!! still trying, I will post that first fish
I hate to think it took the third week into June to hear the word blitz in the canal last year….10 years ago you where hitting stripers beginning in may . I heard a rumor that 2 schoolies caught so far at the herring run . I was there yesterday and saw no one even fishing the ditch or anywhere along the canal. New laws but I think wbere in for another bad year.
Another bad year lol last year was great.i caught tons of fish.i love the guys on their bikes not catching anything and stopping right above me to look to see what I’m doing and using to catch so many fish.
If you are one of those guys f off.if I tell everyone my method their would be no fish left.
I’m coming up Memorial Day weekend. Will my best bet be to go for stripers or tautog?
Both but the stripers will be more abundant
Stripers will be around. Black Sea Bass fishing should be off the charts. Check out my face Book page at Cape Cod Fishing Adventures
On my way tomorrow night from WV to fish and paint that ditch!
John “stripers galore” I must be in the wrong spot
He is a meat head but yeah only a few spots are really productive now I only no 2 and the run is one of them
It is nice to read people are catching 3 pound rainbows and browns out in the eastern part of the state seems like we are forgotten in the western part of the state. I have never seen the state stock fish that big out here.
You guys fishing the Canal that talk about fishing spots are full of s—t. In the spring when the herring are running the run is the best spot. The rest of the season the stripers are on the move. After 50 years of fishing the Canal I’ve learned THEY ARE ON THE MOVE WITH THEIR NOSE TO THE CURRENT. Good luck guys.
Tautog fishing New Bedford jetties i have some nice ones.
Thanks Kyle for all the help!
Got one yesterday just shy of 28 off the beach in Wareham. Nothing today.