UPDATE: The following ponds have been stocked as of March 11, 2016:
Barnstable: Hamblin Pond, Lovells Pond, Shubael Pond
Brewster: Cliff Pond, Flax Pond, Little Cliff Pond, Sheep Pond
Chatham: Goose Pond, Schoolhouse Pond
Dennis: Scargo Lake
Eastham: Herring Pond
Falmouth: Ashumet Pond, Deep Pond, Grews Pond, Mares Pond
Mashpee: Johns Pond, Mashpee-Wakeby Pond
North Attleboro: Falls Pond (southern Basin) , Whitings Pond
Orleans: Baker Pond, Crystal Lake
Plymouth: Big Sandy Pond, Fearings Pond, Fresh Pond, Little Pond, Long Pond
Raynham: Johnson Pond
Sandwich: Peters Pond, Spectacle Pond
Wellfleet: Gull Pond
Yarmouth: Long Pond
Cape Cod Fishing Report
Warm temperatures have gotten the fish (and fishermen) stirring on Cape Cod, and with stocking trucks making their rounds this week, the weekend is looking promising. Signs of spring abound, with hyla frogs (spring peepers) singing and redwing blackbirds returning.
The crew from Red Top has been getting out on some of the ponds in Plymouth and Wareham, finding good action with bass, pickerel, and perch on shiners and lures. Also, don’t miss the Red Top Spring Sale and In-House Show that kicks off this Saturday.
Shiners are pretty much a sure thing this time of year. A great way to shake off the winter rust is to spend an afternoon watching a bobber and waiting for it to drop.
Eddy Stahowiak and I hit a super-shallow Upper Cape pond earlier this week, and found plenty of pickerel, but no bass. The pickerel fell for shallow-diving crankbaits worked slowly.
The hatchery trucks promised to hit the road the first full week in March. Anglers scouting for the trout this week encountered some beautiful holdover brown and rainbow trout, especially in the larger ponds like Peters, Cliff, and Sheeps. Andy Nabreski of On The Water visited his favorite spring trout pond, but it appears he beat the stocking truck there.
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. See the Masswildlife site for the latest stocking news and maps of trout-stocked waters.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
The MassWildlife stocking schedules are usually updated on Fridays, so check them out and see which ponds got their dose of trout. Then, head there with spoons, spinners, jigs, and some PowerBait, and celebrate the return of springtime to Cape Cod.
If you’re looking for a bigger pull, take some shiners to a shallow pond, and cast for pickerel and bass. The warm temperatures this week will have both species in a feeding mood. Head out in the late afternoon, when the sun has warmed the water all day. Don’t be surprised if the bobbers don’t start dropping until the sun falls below the trees, but once the action starts, it can be fast and furious until it’s too dark to see the bobber.
Awesome! Thanks for the shout out!