Nice (but slightly windy) weather last weekend motivated fishermen to hit the Cape’s open freshwaters. I fished Peter’s on Saturday, and caught a rainbow trout on my first cast. Unfortunately, my subsequent casts went unanswered. On Sunday, I fished a small bass pond, but other than a flock of turkeys gobbling along the shoreline, I found no signs of life.
Other fishermen fared better, and reports of bass to 3 pounds and yellow perch of more than a pound washed over social media early this week. Productive lures included shallow-diving crankbaits, suspending jerkbaits, and skirted jigs. Live shiners worked as well.
Tuesday morning was windless, but chilly, but the Peter’s Pond trout were in more of a feeding mood. Small jigs fooled three rainbows and a 16-inch brown before it was time to head to the office.
Pickerel also bit well last weekend, taking suspending jerkbaits intended for bass. Fishermen looking to catch pickerel, but not deal with a trio of treble hooks in their toothy maw, would be wise to try skirted jigs dressed with a paddle-tail trailer and retrieved slowly.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Last weekend, the water was still frigid in the Cape’s ponds but with every degree it warms, the bass and pickerel will become more active. Though this weekend’s forecast is calling for slightly cooler temperatures, the sunshine will warm the mud bottoms of the shallow bass and pickerel ponds. Shiners will be a slam dunk for action, but cold water baits like suspending jerkbaits and slowly retrieved shallow-diving crankbaits will trigger bites, and have the added benefit of covering water.
On the trout ponds, slow moving artificials like stickbaits or 1/16-ounce jigs will be a better bet than spoons and spinners until the water warms a bit. Quality brown trout are still cruising the shoreline, so be sure to make the occasional cast parallel to the shoreline, and don’t wade too deep or you could be wading past the fish.
Yellow perch spawn this time of year, so if you’re after a pin-sized fish, this is your best bet. Perch of 1-pound or better will be gathering in schools. They are often located in deeper water, but they can be caught from shore as well. Small shiners and small jigs are the best lures for perch, and sunset is the best time. I’ve had many days fishing small ponds when, as the sun dipped below the trees, I began catching big perch on every cast.
I live about 1/2 mile from your office. Where are you gettin your shiners; ever since the fire at Falmouth Bait & Tackle, I have not found anything close?
RedTop is your best bet if Eastmans doesn’t have them.