A serious sheet of frost coated my yard as I left for the office Wednesday morning, serving as a harsh reminder that it’s time to take my surf rod out of the truck. There are still stripers around Cape Cod, but the fish left are small, in most cases smaller than the largemouth and pickerel you’re likely to catch in the Cape’s freshwaters.
Striper season isn’t “over,” technically speaking. Stan at Red Top said fishermen caught some small fish in the East End of the Canal Tuesday morning. There were even fish breaking the surface. The fish are most likely eating the small spearing and sand eels still hanging around Cape Cod Bay.
Also feeding on those small baitfish are mackerel. Fishermen using Sabiki rigs have been catching the green bullets in the East End and all the way through to Buzzards Bay reported Stan.
Largemouth bass fishing has been great, despite the cold mornings. Spinnerbaits and jigs are working well. A slow-rolled spinnerbait is tough to beat on a blustery fall day. Pickerel are another excellent freshwater option, and will continue to be until the ponds freeze. Pickerel have the same weakness for spinnerbaits and jigs as largemouth bass. Fishermen willing to break out the bucket and fish some live shiners will have the best action with both species.
Trout fishing has been on the slow side said Lee at Riverview Bait and Tackle, basing his assessment on a report from an angler who’d spent several hours on Sheeps Pond with only a single trout. But trout are finicky creatures, and will be very active at some parts of the day and impossible to find during others. Gold spoons will still draw strikes, but stickbaits become more effective as the water temperatures fall.
Best Bets for the Weekend
If you hit the Canal looking for stripers, bring a Sabiki rig and make mackerel your backup plan. A dozen shiners fished at your local pond could be good for a dozen bass and pickerel, and walking the shores of a deep trout pond in the morning should turn up a few rainbows and maybe a bonus brown.