Cape Cod Fishing Report - June 1, 2017

“It’s on!” reported Jeff from Maco’s. Fish were all throughout the Canal earlier this week, most in the 20-pound range. Jigging paddletails like the Savage Sand Eel has been the most productive. Tinker mackerel have been the primary bait.

Red Top weighed stripers to 42 pounds this week reported Jacob. Morning tide changes produced good topwater action, with the fish going deep as the sun rose. Fishing with swimming plugs and jigs like the Al Gag’s Whip-It Fish caught fish even when they weren’t showing on the surface. Black sea bass fishing has been red hot Jacob said, with fishermen taking limits in less than an hour of fishing.

Mark at Legit Fish Charters said using mackerel is accounting for some good sized stripers out front, while schoolies are feeding on herring closer to shore.

John at Cape Cod Bay Charters said the fishing off Dennis has been good and that the East Bar has been producing. There are plenty of mackerel and sand eels in the bay keeping the stripers fat and happy.

John at Fish Chatham Charters reported sea bass and scup all over Nantucket Sound. Chatham is loaded with stripers from schoolies to 30-inchers reported John.  He’ll be taking his first trip east for tuna on Friday.

Dan at Salt Shaker Charters said there are more stripers around than he’s seen in years. Many of these fish are 30- to 32-inchers, and he’s been having luck trolling single jigs and umbrella rigs on Billingsgate Shoal. Off Barnstable in deeper water, Dan said there have been some larger stripers taken.

Jim at Eastmans Sport and Tackle reported good numbers of 28- to 32-inch fish at L’Hommidieu Shoal. Some fluke are being caught in Vineyard Sound, but it’s still early and the fishing is slow.

Jim of Patriot Party Boats said the scup and sea bass fishing is great with his clients catching easy limits. The biggest challenge is getting through the sea bass to fill the scup limit. Patriot will be offering open boat trips starting June 5.

On Martha’s Vineyard big stripers are being taken by boat and shore fishermen according to the report from Larry’s Tackle Shop. Big bluefish have been in the mix as well. Squid fishing in Edgartown Harbor has been hit or miss, but schoolies are there, as well as in just about every harbor around the island.

Ron at Bucktail Fishing Charters said keeper stripers are being caught on live mackerel off Barnstable. On the other side of the Cape, he’s been finding easy limits of big sea bass, with most fish weight 3 to 4 pounds.

The tide changes in the Canal have been good reported Jeff at Canal Bait and Tackle. Mackerel-colored plugs and jigs are working best. Cut mackerel have also been working. Off the West End of the Canal, Jeff said fishermen are catching scup and sea bass.

Kurt of Fish Sticks Charters had an awesome trip to Middle Ground on Wednesday, where three anglers totaled nearly 30 stripers up to 32 inches on light tackle. Soft-plastic stickbaits in pink, amber, and Arkansas shiner were the ticket to imitating the squid and sand eels hanging in the rip. A few fish even fell to topwaters. Mixed in with the bass were some bluefish. Kurt reported that Halfway Shoal was not as productive.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

Stripers have us surrounded on Cape Cod. From the South Side and Buzzards Bay to Cape Cod Bay and the Backside, there are bass all over. Many of the fish are schoolies to 32-inchers, making light tackle and small, sand-eel imitations your best bet. Fishermen will begin the hunt for bluefin this weekend, but it’s still a bit early. It won’t be too long before they show up, however, so this weekend might be a good time to get your big game gear in order. Sea bass are a slam dunk in Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay, and make for a fun pit stop between beating the water for stripers.