Cape Cod Fishing Report - May 19, 2016

With the upcoming full moon, some larger striped bass have arrived on the Cape. While schoolies still make up the bulk of the action, fishermen who have had their fill of light-tackle fishing can break out the big fish gear and target 20- and even 30-plus-pound stripers.

Cape Cod Bay

The bay beaches in Eastham and Wellfleet are producing schoolie stripers with the occasional 30- to 35-incher reported Paul at Blackbeard’s Bait and Tackle in Eastham. There haven’t been many anglers going out, in the boat, Paul said, but those who have encountered good numbers of bass on Billingsgate while trolling umbrella rigs. Brewster Flats also had schoolies with some keepers mixed in.

Some 40-inch stripers were cruising Barnstable Harbor this week reported the crew at Sports Port. The mouth of the harbor is the most likely place to find a larger bass—especially with live mackerel—but some of the bigger bass snuck into the harbor giving fishermen a shot at catching them with topwaters and light tackle.

Jeff at Forestdale Bait and Tackle reported that Wellfleet Harbor has also been holding fish.

Fishermen looking for dinner can dunk sea worms for winter flounder around Wellfleet advised Paul from Black Beards. The flatfish have been biting well for the few fishermen targeting them.

Cape Cod Canal

AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods reported some large stripers taken in the Canal Thursday morning. The fish chased a school of mackerel into the East End and blitzed on the surface for a short period giving the fishermen in the right place a quick shot. The largest fish AJ heard of was 44 inches. AJ also wanted to mention that though Red Top will be having construction done this weekend, they will be open for business.

The Canal continues to be full of baitfish including silversides, mackerel, and squid.

Hot lures have been the SP Minnow, 3-ounce pencil poppers, and Savage Sand Eels. White has been the best color reported AJ.

The action hasn’t been limited to the East End reported Paul at Maco’s. Stripers are being taken throughout the Canal. Most are short, but keepers are being caught more regularly. Fishermen looking for light-tackle or fly-fishing have been having good luck in Buttermilk Bay and the Weweantic River as well.

Buzzards Bay

Buzzards Bay is loaded with big scup reported Paul at Maco’s. The waters around Marion have produced fish to 3.4 pounds in recent days. AJ at Red Top had heard of scup to 2.5 pounds.

Fishermen are still catching tog, but it’s not as good as a couple weeks ago. Rockpiles south of Cleveland Ledge are producing the most keeper tog right now. One fishermen targeting tog this week couldn’t get through the thick schools of big sea bass that were gobbling up his green crabs on every drop. That’s good news because black sea bass season opens on Saturday, May 21.

If you’re exclusively looking for sea bass, try fishing a jig tipped with squid or Berkley Gulp. If you’d like more of a mixed bag of sea bass and scup, a high-low rig with clam or squid strips will be the better bet.

Stripers have also been moving through Buzzards Bay. Fishermen found blitzing schoolies under birds early this week as the fish made their way toward the Canal.  It seems like that action quieted a bit on Thursday, but it will resume as more waves of migrating fish move into the area. For these stripers, 7-inch Slug-Gos or Tsunami Sand Eels have been getting the most action. Once again, most of the fish are shorts, but there have been enough 28- to 32-inch fish mixed in to keep it interesting.

South Side

Bluefish have been popping up here and there along the South Side since last week. Some of the fish have been in the 10- to 12-pound range, providing exciting action for both shore and boat fishermen. Cotuit has been one of the best places to find the blues, as they move in looking for the bunker in the area.

The bluefish reports went cold late this week, however. That’s typical of this time of year reported Paul from Blackbeards. The big blues show up for a few days, then move on, being replaced by smaller 5- to 7-pounders. Jeff at Forestdale thinks some onshore wind, from the southwest, will bring the bluefish back in.

That doesn’t mean you should avoid the South Side. Fishermen looking for blues were kept busy by roving packs of stripers from South Cape Beach to Cotuit. Inside the backwaters, the fishing was even better, with schoolies slamming topwaters and swim shads. Jeff at Forestdale heard a report of one angler seeking blues with a Kastmaster off South Cape Beach and catching a bunch of stripers instead.

Some larger fish, up to 30 pounds, have been appearing in Vineyard Sound, especially down along the Elizabeth Islands. Trolling is always a top tactic this time of year as it allows anglers to cover ground to locate the concentrations of migrating stripers. Live-lining legal-sized scup or bunker is another good tactic, especially around structure where migrating stripers are likely to stage. Middle Ground and Devil’s Bridge are also likely spots to find stripers right now.

Tog fishing is good around Craigville reported the crew at Sports Port, and sea bass are thick in the sounds, so it’s looking good for Saturday’s season opener.

Lower Cape

Stripers are biting well in the surf from Wellfleet to Truro reported Paul at Blackbeards. Small plugs, matched with a teaser, have been catching well.

Big schools of mackerel are hanging around Provincetown, for fishermen looking to load up on some bait.

Martha’s Vineyard

The south side of the island continues to produce stripers reported Peter at Larry’s Tackle. Larger fish, in the 30-inch range are being caught more regularly on bucktails and small swimming plugs. Squid are still running strong in Edgartown Harbor, and they’ve been joined by large scup. The salt ponds are full of 28- to 30-inch bass reported Peter. A couple worm spawns went off this week, providing fun surface action. Cinder worm flies were the best producer on sunny days, but under overcast skies, topwater plugs worked just fine. The first bluefish has been taken on the Vineyard, but it appears to have been a stray, mixed in with a school of stripers.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

Schoolie fishing is still on fire, as these fish surround Cape Cod. A small jig or plug cast from the beach anywhere from Falmouth to Provincetown is likely to be met with a feisty schoolie. The best action is still in the harbors and salt ponds.

If you’re after a bigger fish, taking the boat along the Elizabeths or around Barnstable Harbor is your best bet. Shore fishermen would be wise to hit the Canal at daybreak for a chance at a striper that can take some drag.

The opening of black sea bass season promises to be a good one, and fishermen off the South Side or in Buzzards Bay should dedicate some time to bouncing small jigs for these fish.

And lastly, freshwater fishing is still great. Trout are feeding well in the ponds, and some extra large smallmouth bass have been taken in some of the Cape’s kettle ponds as the fish move into shallow water to spawn.