The best way to beat the heat this weekend is to hit the water. Fish have settled into their summer patterns inshore, and overall, the action has been pretty good.
Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay
The daytime striper bite continues to elude anglers in the Cape Cod Canal. Mornings have been slow for the most part with little bait and few breaking fish reported Tom at Red Top. Tom is hopeful that some northeast winds will push bait, and subsequently stripers, into the Canal.
The handful of fish being caught during the days have been hitting chunks fished on the bottom around slack tide.
According to Tom, Just a few miles away, in 20 to 40 feet of water in Cape Cod Bay from Sunken Meadow to Barnstable Harbor, the fishing has been good. Hundreds of commercial striped bass boats have been casting live eels to striper schools they locate using their electronics. Quite a few fish over 20 pounds are being taken, and some as large as 45 pounds have been caught. If fishing for fun, it’d be wise to avoid Mondays and Thursdays (as well as Wednesday and Sunday nights) when the massive commercial fleet descends on the bay.
Live eels have been the go-to bait at night, but during the day, trolling tube-and-worm rigs has been working.
From shore, fishermen are catching schoolie stripers on sandworms and small swimming plugs from the Cape Cod Bay beaches.
Some bluefin tuna were also reported in Cape Cod Bay this week. Some fishermen reported 100-pound bluefin crashing bait in the Bay.
Buzzards Bay
Scup and fluke fishing has been good in Buzzards Bay reported Tom at Red Top. Keeper fluke are being caught fairly regularly, and there have been plenty of legal-size scup to add to the larder. Keeper black sea bass have been few and far between.
Tom also noted that bluefish have been making a stronger showing in Buzzards Bay, feeding under flocks of birds. Casting poppers and metal lures to the blitzing blues has made for fun light-tackle fishing.
Some stripers are still being caught around the Elizabeth Islands. Big numbers of small keeper-size fish are hitting lures cast into the rocks during the day. Eels fished at night and live bunker fished during the day are producing some larger fish.
South Side and Martha’s Vineyard
On Martha’s Vineyard bluefish are hitting on East Beach reported the boys at Coops Bait and Tackle. Wasque has reopened to driving, and the rip is holding some stripers. Up island, there are stripers at Squibnocket and Lobsterville, but the bite has slowed some.
Big black sea bass are being taken off the island in the deeper waters, and at the Hooter, more bonito are moving in, but the bite isn’t on fire just yet.
Bottom fishing in Nantucket Sound is good reported Ben at Forestdale Bait and Tackle. Keeper sea bass are being caught at L’Hommidieu, Wreck Shoal, and Succonesset Shoal. Fluke fishing has been good too, reported Ben.
Big bluefish are being caught at Horseshoe Shoal. The fish have been running 10 to 11 pounds and will strike topwaters, metals, and trolled hootchie rigs.
Keeper stripers are roaming the South Side harbors and salt ponds after dark. Ben at Forestdale heard of a 33-incher taken from Popponesset this week.
Captain Pete from Castaway Charters has been doing well with fluke, catching fish up to 11 pounds from Handkerchief Shoal east. Nice thick squid strips have been the key to catching the big fluke.
Monomoy, Chatham, and Outer Cape
The fishing at Monomoy has been running hot and cold reported Captain Mort from Fishtale Charters. On Thursday, he caught more than 20 stripers, while Wednesday, it was a struggle to catch a few.
There has been good fishing a bit farther north of Chatham Inlet, with fishermen catching good-size stripers on live bunker. The fishing is the best its been in a long time off Chatham reported John from Fish Chatham Charters. He’s had stripers up to 30 pounds and has heard of fish to 40 pounds. Live pogies are working best, but vertical jigging is working as well.
Small stripers are being caught off the Outer Cape beaches in the dark, but keepers have been more difficult to find.
Tuna and Offshore Fishing
The bluefin bite south of Martha’s Vineyard is still going. There seems to be a big body of fish in the area, but anglers venturing down there are having mixed results, with some trolling up as many as 10, and others going home empty-handed in the same day. Fishermen have also been catching fish on spinning gear.
The canyons are hot reported Steve of Chaser Offshore Fishing. There are big numbers of yellowfin from Veatch to Atlantis, with small fish swarming in the 500- to 600-foot depths and larger yellows in the deep.
Captain John of Fish Chatham Charters fished South of the Vineyard on Thursday and picked two bluefin while trolling along with a big fleet.
With warm water moving up, Steve expects to see some yellowfin moving into the grounds South of the Vineyard, along with white marlin and wahoo.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
For stripers by boat, the best options are Chatham and Cape Cod Bay. The bottom fishing is great in Nantucket Sound for sea bass and fluke. If you have the range to hit the tuna grounds, bluefin fishing is good south of the Vineyard, and yellowfin fishing is on fire in Atlantis and Veatch canyons.
HOW FAR SOUTH OF THE VINEYARD ARE THE TUNA SHOWING UP
50 miles
Any news from Race Point? Or is that report no longer available since Nelson’s closed?
I was there Sunday from 5 am till noon. Albeit I was in a kayak but I caught one 28 inch striper that’s still swimming. I marked no fish, only occasional school of sand eels. Saw a few birds working. I trolled from the Race down to Wood End, zero. The water is very warm. Not even any bluefish. I went out past the pots as well. Probably the oceanfront may be better.
Any action at the east end of the canal?