Very little has changed on the Cape Cod fishing front. It’s not looking good for local ice fishing this winter, even if Punxsutawney Phil did predict six more weeks of winter this morning.
Neither Riverview nor Falmouth Bait and Tackle had heard much on the fishing lately. That’s mostly due to a lack of angler effort suggested Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle. The few anglers poking around the Cape ponds have had the fish almost all to themselves. The two fishermen I spied from afar on Peter’s Pond on Sunday morning were the first fishermen I’ve seen in the last few weeks of pond-hopping around the Upper Cape.
Whether the fishermen are there or not, the trout are cruising the shallows of the larger Cape ponds like Peters, Sheeps, Cliff, and Long Pond in Plymouth. Small jigs have been producing best for me, but spoons are working well, especially when casting into the wind.
Some of the smaller ponds have skimmed over with the recent cold nights, but there are plenty of bass and pickerel lakes open enough to fish from shore or in a kayak or johnboat. Shiners are automatic for the bass and pickerel right now, but I had surprising success with Rat-L-Traps over the weekend. Other anglers are reporting action on largemouths to 4 pounds while fishing with jerkbaits and shallow-diving crankbaits.
Beyond that, not much has changed. Fishermen fishing deep in the Cape’s backwaters are picking away at holdover stripers. The best time is around low tide, when the fish concentrate in channels and holes. Most of the holdovers are less than 20 inches in length, but every year, a few keeper-size and better fish are taken in the dead of winter. Small soft plastics or flies are your best bet.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
When targeting trout, cover some ground while casting to improve your odds of crossing paths with a rainbow or brown looking for a meal. For bass and pickerel, try the afternoons when the water temperatures bump up a couple degrees, potentially putting them on the feed.
Jimmy, thanks for the great reports. I read everyone of them. My dad lives on sheep pond. I’m trying to get him fishing again. What are you using for spoons and jigs? He’d be shore fishing.
Thanks.
Rob….
Does anyone know the black Seabass regulations for this upcoming spring