Cape Cod Fishing Report - July 23, 2015

Air temperatures on Cape Cod hit the 90s early this week, but the fishing showed no signs of entering the so-called “Summer Doldrums.” While the mercury was spiking Monday afternoon, a school of breaking stripers moved through the Canal, and east of Chatham and off the Race, big bluefin tuna tore apart the surface. Sprinkle in some good fluke fishing and a bluefish “invasion,” and there is a great mix of species swimming around the Cape right now.

Bull at Red Top Sporting Goods said stripers have been breaking in the East End of the Canal at first light this week. There have also been  breaking fish from the Herring Run west, Bull reported, but many of them have been bluefish. Some of the blues have been big ones, approaching 15 pounds, and will fight harder than a bass twice that size. Just ask OTW’s Ed Giordano, who thought he had the striper of a lifetime on the line last weekend, only to be surprised when a giant bluefish came into view.

Among the techniques that have been working, Bull said fishermen using bait, both fresh bunker and live eels, are connecting in the Canal. Eels are working better in the dark, Bull said. Swimming plugs and jigs are catching as well, especially the Savage Sand Eel.

The crew at Macos said stripers to 40 pounds are spread throughout the whole length of the Canal, and fishermen can find them both in the mornings and after dark.

I hit the Canal Thursday morning and saw plenty of bait and breaking fish. Unfortunately, the bass had tunnel vision, and only a few fishermen were able to pull them away from the small baits they were crashing on the surface. The baitfish appeared to be small squid, but it was too far out to make a positive identification. If hitting the Canal in the morning, be sure to pack some small, long-casting lures.

Shore fishermen are finding schoolie stripers along the Cape Cod Bay Beaches from Scusset to Sandy Neck reported the crew at Sports Port. Small swimming plugs are working, but for the best shot at success, rig a teaser ahead of the plug. The bayside bass are feeding on small baitfish, and will be more likely to strike a teaser than a plug. Red Gills are great teasers, but flies like the Lefty’s Deceiver make a very effective teaser as well.

The striper bite around Race Point has gotten spotty. The fish have spread out, with some heading down along the backside beaches and others heading offshore into Federal waters, where it’s illegal to fish for striped bass. The fishermen who are still catching bass are using live mackerel. Rigging the mackerel behind a sinker and sending the baitfish to the bottom seems to be working better than letting it swim freely near the surface.

The rips at Monomoy have slowed down reported Captain Jeff Bees of East Rip Charters. The bass have been replaced by an “invasion” of 8- to 10-pound bluefish, Jeff said. Nantucket is also producing big blues reported Captain Mort Terry of Fish Tales Sportfishing.

According to the crew at Coops Bait and Tackle on the Vineyard, a fresh school of migratory stripers has moved into the Elizabeth Islands. Fishermen working the islands have been catching some sea-lice covered stripers by casting eels and chunking fresh bunker.

Striper fishing is pretty quiet on the South Side of the Cape, except for the occasional schoolie being caught around the mouths of the bays and salt ponds said Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle.

Shore fishermen on the South Side have switched over to scup reported the crew at Sports Port. Keeper scup are being taken from the South Side jetties, as well as Dowses Point and Seagull Beach.

There have also been some snapper blues reported around the Harbor in Hyannis.  While the juvenile bluefish may still be too small to make a meal of, they are a perfect size for tempting a keeper fluke.

Boat fishermen in the Sound are doing well with fluke and big sea bass Jeff said. The deeper holes in Vineyard Sound are giving up some big fluke as well, reported the crew at Coops on the Vineyard. The biggest fluke we heard of this week was a 12-pound doormat taken by Dan Pucillo.

The fluke fishing in Buzzards Bay is improving reported Bill at Macos. Sea bass fishing is good in the deeper parts of the bay. The shallow waters are overrun with tiny scup and small sea bass.

On the Vineyard, surfcasters have gotten into some bluefish blitzes at Wasque during the day. After dark, casters fishing up-island are getting into some good stripers.

A few bonito have been caught around the Hooter  and the back side of Nomans, but there don’t seem to be enough around the long run from the South Side worth it. That should change over the next couple weeks as waters continue to warm.

Best Bets for the Weekend

It’s prime time to hook a doormat fluke, so if you’re hitting the South Side this weekend, look for some deeper water and current in Nantucket or Vineyard sound. Lucas Shoal is always a good starting point, but focus on the deeper water outside the shoal.

Though the striper fishing might be a little slow in the Monomoy Rips and around Nantucket, fast action on big blues will make it worth the trip. Bring some light gear, or even a fly rod, and enjoy the hard-fighting bluefish.

Speaking of blues, if you’re in the Canal, keep an eye out for big bluefish in the West End. Have some metal on hand  in case the blues are far out. Metal lures are also great at imitating the small baitfish that stripers key in on at this time of year.

Lastly, the report of bass moving into the Elizabeths may be worth some exploration. Get some eels and head down along the islands and cast them into to rocks. It’s been a few years since this fishery was red hot, but perhaps it’s turning back on.