Cape Cod Fishing Report - June 23, 2016

Outer Cape and Cape Cod Bay

The best striper fishing seems to have moved around the tip of Cape Cod and down the Outer Cape as big schools of 15- to 30-pound stripers continue to gorge on sand eels.

Paddle-tail soft plastics like the Tsunami Sand Eel are the hot baits, but fish are occasionally striking topwaters as well. Large pencil popper or spook-style baits have been working well.

Some days the bass are a little finicky or tough to find, but the fishing has been fairly consistent.

The fishing around the rips off Monomoy and Chatham has been fair. Captain John of Fish Chatham Charters said the bass fishing has been hot and cold as schools of stripers move through the area on their way north. On some days, John said, the fishing around Monomoy has been excellent, with his clients catching more than 40 bass casting lures on spinning tackle. Other days, it can be a grind to catch a few fish.

In Cape Cod Bay, Brewster Flats are producing some schoolie stripers for boat fishermen. Beach fishermen are doing well catching schoolies on light tackle. Jeff from Forestdale Bait and Tackle reported big numbers of small stripers inside Scorton Creek. One kayaker had a fun day catching bass to 24 inches in the stretch below 6A. Small jigs or flies are perfect for these pint-size stripers. It’s a good idea to crush the barb on your hooks when catching small stripers. If you keep the line tight, you’ll minimize the number of fish lost while maximizing each fish’s chance for survival.

Fishing from the outer beaches has been steady for smaller bass, with a couple keepers in the mix. A needlefish or minnow plug paired with a teaser will do the trick. One surfcaster on Race Point watched a great white ambush and devour a seal only yard in front of him this week.

There are plenty of mackerel around Race Point, and live-lining them continues to be a deadly technique for the stripers, especially when jigs and poppers are ignored.

Cape Cod Canal

It was a slow week in the Cape Cod Canal reported AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods. Some small stripers were caught, along with a few small bluefish, but larger bass were scarce. There were reports of a 38- and a 40-pounder taken on the morning tides this week, but most fishermen left the Canal empty-handed.

Buzzards Bay

School stripers continue to feed well throughout Buzzards Bay. Fishermen are catching bass to almost keeper-size on poppers at dusk and at first light. Later in the morning, black sea bass, scup, and fluke are the best options. Keeper sea bass are still to be had in the bay. The scup fishing is still very good, and fluke fishing is good, with keepers being caught regularly outside the Canal channel.

South Side and Martha’s Vineyard

Schoolies galore on the South Side reported Jeff at Forestdale, but bluefish remain elusive for shore casters.

Boat fishermen are not having as much trouble finding the blues. Jeff at Forestdale heard a report of big numbers of blues caught outside the Waquoit Bay Jetties. Captain Kurt of Fishsticks Charters said the bluefishing has been good at L’Hommidieu and Horseshoe shoals, with the latter producing larger blues.

Fishermen looking for a mixed bag can find it at Succonesset Shoal and Hedge Fence, where Jeff at Forestdale reported anglers are catching fluke, black sea bass, bluefish, and keeper stripers. Jeff had also heard of stripers to 40 inches taken around Popponesset this week.

Kurt from Fishsticks reported Middle Ground as the hotspot this week, with plenty of hungry stripers and the occasional keeper-sized fish. Kurt has also been catching some monster black sea bass to 5 pounds.

On the Vineyard, Melissa at Larry’s Tackle reported good bluefishing in the afternoons off Chappy for surfcasters. Boat fishermen are catching a mix of bass and blues off Wasque. State Beach has also been producing a mix of stripers and bluefish. In Edgartown Harbor, fishermen are catching keeper-sized scup, Melissa reported.

Bluefin Tuna

It appears that the full moon has the tuna fishing in a funk. Steve of Chaser Offshore Fishing reported that a few fish are being taken on ballyhoo East of Chatham, but for the amount of boats fishing, the catching has been sparse. John of Fish Chatham Charters reported seeing busting tuna out east, but not getting any bites.

Steve reported that there is lots of life south of the Vineyard, but no boats have come back with fish yet. He expects the fishing down there to light up soon, given the amount of bait and life in the area.

Some nice water is moving into Welkers and Hydrographer’s canyons, Steve reported, and it appears that a few boats are preparing to make the run this weekend.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

Look to the Outer Cape for stripers from the boat. The fish are moving around a vast area, so prepare to burn some fuel while searching for them.

Bluefish action is great in the rips off the South Side, and most of the shoals are holding a mix of blues, bass, sea bass, and fluke, making them a great place for some variety this weekend. Bring a mix of poppers, jigs, and fluke rigs when fishing the South Side.

The Canal could turn on soon, but it’s been a slow June on the Big Ditch. Surfcasters might be wise to venture down Cape. While the huge schools of big stripers are staying well offshore in the daylight, it’s likely that a few of those fish are venturing into the surf after dark.