Cape Cod Fishing Report - October 20, 2016

The crisp fall weather has been interrupted by some unseasonal warmth this week, which has made it once again possible to do some fishing in short sleeves. The best of the striper fishing is definitely behind us, but there will be some pockets of activity as schools of fish move south past the Cape.

Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report

Fishermen are finding plenty of schoolie stripers in the East End of the Canal and along the Cape Cod Bay beaches.  The schoolies are feeding on small baitfish, so small bucktail jigs, teaser flies, and topwaters are working well.

Most of these schoolies are well shy of keeper size, so before targeting them, crush the barbs on your hooks to ensure an easy release so these fish return to us as keepers and then cows in the years to come.

Boat fishermen in the bay have been finding blitzing schoolie stripers from Sandy Neck to Plymouth. The fish are feeding on small baits, so small metal lures and soft plastics are working best.

There were lots of birds working in the Canal on Wednesday reported Stan at Red Top. Stan said most of the birds and breaking fish were out of casting range, but some anglers were hooking up with keeper-sized bass using topwaters. Stan also heard of good schools of baitfish and bass working along the beaches in Plymouth.

The East End of the Canal has also been producing squid for fishermen bringing their own lights to hang off the bulkhead in the Sandwich Marina.

South Side and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report

Albie fishing was on fire around the Vineyard on Tuesday. One report claimed there was a mile-long school of feeding albies off Chappaquiddick. Julian at Larry’s Tackle reported that albies were indeed still around, and that they were also being caught at the Gut and Menemsha.

Bonito and bluefish are also being caught around the island, reported Julian. The bones are popping up around Squibnocket, and the bluefish are hanging outside Edgartown Harbor.

Some schools of decent stripers seem to be moving along the South Side right now. Amy at Sports Port said keeper-size bass were hitting topwaters in Centerville on Wednesday. There were also reports of stripers falling to live eels along the Falmouth beaches after dark.

Amy also reported that big bluefish continue to harry schools of adult bunker in the South Side bays. If you find the big bunker, odds are, the blues are nearby. Popping plugs or live or chunked bunker will tempt the blues, some of which weigh more than 14 pounds.

Tog are biting well all throughout Buzzards Bay. Rockpiles are holding big numbers of these bottom-dwellers, but be prepared to weed through a lot of shorts before finding enough keepers to fill your limit. Some large tog have been taken recently, including a few exceeding the 10-pound mark.

Outer Cape Fishing Report

For the few fishermen still walking the Outer Cape beaches, the fish are there. Most are shorts, but they are aggressive as they feed heavily on sand eels while working their way south.

The most exciting action on the Outer Cape continues to be the bluefin bite. Run-and-gun fishermen are having good luck with 50- to 60-inch fish while anglers fishing live bait are catching giants. The hot lures have been RonZs and stickbaits such as those made by Siren Lures.

The waters off Chatham had big bluefish and decent sized stripers last week, and a few fish remain. Vertical jigging has been working well for both the blues and bass, but be sure to have some topwaters on board in case the fish drive the bait to the surface.

Cape Cod Freshwater Fishing Report

The freshwater fishing is excellent right now. It’s been excellent for most of the summer, but it’s not until the stripers start thinning out that fishermen start paying attention to the ponds again.

The recently stocked rainbow trout continue to bite well on spoons, flies, and PowerBait.

Largemouth bass are feeding heavily. Topwater baits are working at times, but jigs have been the most reliable lures for larger fish.

The pickerel have been a welcome bycatch for fishermen targeting bass. As the water gets colder, the pickerel action will continue to improve.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

It’s time to get the freshwater gear ready to go and hit the ponds, but leave the saltwater tackle in the truck. Schools of stripers will continue to move through the Canal and along the Outer Cape and South Side. At this time of year, you are likely to encounter a school of migrating bass at just about any time of day or night, but your odds are best around sunrise and sunset. Small swimming plugs and needlefish are good best for the bass, but live eels always stack the odds in the fisherman’s favor.

Grabbing some green crabs and hitting the rockpiles is the best bet for bringing home some fillets this weekend. Tog are biting well, and should continue to do so for the next few weeks.