Cape Cod Fishing Report
This weekend’s winter snowstorm and cold temperatures are just a short-term setback on our march to an early spring. Trout stocking trucks are set to roll through the Southeast District and make a delivery of some good-sized rainbow trout just in time for the temperature rebound next week.
Close to 500,000 brook, brown, rainbow and tiger trout will be stocked this spring from MassWildlife’s five hatcheries. The fish being stocked this spring, coupled with the more than 66,000 12-plus-inch trout stocked last fall, should provide some excellent fishing this spring.
Rainbows are usually the first fish to go in, and this year the majority of the bows are over 14 inches in length! The fish should be aggressive and ready to strike out at small metal spoons, spinners, and small crappie jigs, but PowerBait will surely produce as well. For some good info on trout fishing in the Cape’s kettle ponds, check out this feature. On the Cape, Grews (Falmouth), Mares (Falmouth) Pimlico (Sandwich) and Peters (Sandwich) are often included on the earliest stocking rounds, and Peters has already been giving up some big holdover brown trout since ice-out. See the Masswildlife site for the latest stocking news and maps of trout-stocked waters.
Earlier sunrises and stronger rays will continue to warm the shallows in smaller bog ponds and back bays of the Cape Cod kettle ponds, increasing the activity levels of perch, pickerel and largemouth bass. Live shiners should be a sure thing, but jerkbaits worked with long pauses and slow-fished soft plastics should start producing as well.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
We’ve been blessed with a mild winter and an early spring. Use the weekend to get your gear in order, and then take advantage of the warmer weather and get out of the house next week! Stop by your favorite trout pond and with a few exploratory casts you should be able to figure out pretty fast if the stocking trucks have visited. If the trout aren’t biting, consider hitting the shallow, south-facing bays and boggy backwaters of your favorite bass and pickerel ponds. There’s plenty of time to throw artificials in the coming weeks… for these first fish of spring, a live shiner under a small float is a great way to get your season started.