Pictured above: The Cape Cod Canal has been excellent this week with numerous fish over 50 pounds hitting the scales at area tackle shops. Striper Cup contestant Rob Thorpe caught and released this big 42-inch bass this week.
The Canal. The Canal. The Canal.
Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report
After Tuesday morning, fishermen were saying that this might be one of the best Canal bites in the history of the Cape Cod Canal. As of Thursday morning, it pretty much agreed that the fishing was, in the words of AJ over at Red Top Sporting Goods, “As good as it ever was, and probably as good as it ever will be.” To back up his words, he quoted a shop regular of over 50 years, who told him that Thursday morning’s fishing was the best day he’s seen or heard of in his 5 decades of fishing the Canal. Since Monday, the shop had weighed in three 50-pounders, all caught within the Canal. The bite has been spread throughout, with the epicenter between the two bridges, allowing the crowds to spread out a bit. The bass are gorging on mackerel, but all manner of baits have been working: Savage jigs were producing consistently, but topwater pencils, Sebile Magic Swimmers, and Stick Shadds were all working as well. There’s even a rumor that someone caught a 20-pounder on a Twizzler.
The report from Canal Bait and Tackle: “The Canal, man… (Expletive)…. Insane…” They’ve weighed in countless 40-pounders and a 54. Mid-day Thursday, fishermen were running in to replenish their plug supplies and running back out the door to get back on the bite. Remember, it’s August. Not the new moon in June, or the first nor’easter in late September. This morning was sunny and warm with a light breeze.
The fishing will inevitably slow down this weekend as the tides wane, but with so many bass around, it is doubtful it will die completely. Jigs will fish better than topwater plugs if the blitzes die down, and eels at night will probably be a good bet.
Buzzards Bay has been loaded with bait, from tiny bay anchovies to clouds of silversides and peanut bunker. There have been mixed bonito and bluefish off West Falmouth and the Westport River. There were also quite a few juvenile king mackerel and perhaps some Spanish mackerel off North Falmouth.
Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report
Cape Cod Bay reports were mixed this week. With so many bass in the Canal, it’s not surprising that there aren’t many left in the Bay. Before the Canal lit up, there was an excellent bite outside the East End and ranging out toward Sand Neck, reported Captain Dan Hannon of Salt Shaker Charters. On Thursday, the fish poked out of the Canal for a short flurry, then headed right back in. There’s loads of mackerel outside the East End, so it’s likely that as things settle down in the Canal those big bass will start spending more time in the Bay.
Captain John of Cape Cod Bay charters reported that the bass bite off Brester and Dennis has cooled, but in the meantime there have been big bluefish off Sunken Meadow and Orleans.
Captain Ron Signs of Bucktail Fishing Charters has been dealing with boat trouble but is anxious to get back out into the bay this weekend.
Vineyard, South Side, and The Elizabeth Island’s Fishing Report
Jim over at Eastman’s Sports and Tackle in Falmouth said he’s been coaching regulars who are asking what they need to go fish the Canal, and he’s had to tell a few not to bother heading up there with schoolie tackle. He reported blues all over the Sound, including some big ones. A customer aboard the Patriot Thursday landed a 13-pounder.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle mentioned that a customer was on the lookout for early albies off Craigsville and found tons of bait and tons of 3-pound bluefish. There’s a lot of bait in the sound right now, so things could heat up in a hurry if the bonito move inshore or if the albies show up. For now, fishermen can make a mixed bag with scup and sea bass (which close on August 29).
Martha’s Vineyard Fishing Report
The folks at Larrys Tackle Shop reported that funny fish fever is taking hold. The Hooter has been good, but bonito are starting to move inshore to State Beach and off Cape Pogue. The bonito are mixed in with blues and aggressive sea bass.
Over at Coops Bait and Tackle, there was a lot of excitement about the bonito fishing picking up and spreading toward Menemsha and Tashmoo. The only albie reports have come from offshore fishermen, but they move fast and could move in any day. The bluefin tuna bite south of the Vineyard has died off, but there are still some fish south of Block Island.
Monomoy Fishing Report
Captain Mort Terry at FishTale Sportfishing was on the water when we spoke Thursday, trying to find smaller striped bass that his crew of 4th graders could handle. The rips of Monomoy and Nauset have been on fire, with fish to 35 pounds loaded in the rips and hitting jigs on wire line, hoochies trolled on top, flies – just about anything.
Captain Eric of Schooney Fishing Charters said that with no stripers around P-Town, he’s been launching out of Nauset and taking part in the excellent bass fishing down there. Most of the commercial bass fleet was out there on Thursday as well.
Offshore Fishing Report
Captain Matt of Fishy Business Sportfishing in Plymouth has been out striper fishing every day, hitting upper Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, and getting in on the bite at Nauset. He reported an interesting find offshore while watching whales in 160 feet of water. He dropped a jig down to see what was down there, and ended up with some excellent pollock!
Captain John of Fish Chatham Charters has been targeting tuna off Chatham and doing very well. On Thursday, he caught and released two giants and kept a 63-incher. He’s been fishing live baits under kites and reported that there is loads of sand eels and mackerel keeping fish of all sizes feeding out there.
Captain Steve Dufresne of Chaser Offshore Fishing was out at East Atlantis recently and found a slow pick of yellowfin tuna along with some marlin. The canyon fishing was tough for a number of boats out there, but the better water has moved west to the closer canyons, so he’ll be back out soon to give it another shot.
The canal has never been better tons of quality fish. People have to learn how to
Release and revive a tired bass I saw too many bass floating belly up Thursday
Morning . This resource in not unlimited take care of the fish you release so they
Can be caught again . Good tides and bent rods
In the sixties this is what happened and these beautiful fish almost dissappeared.
I fear the same will happen soon especially when people are writing articles on exactly when to be at the canal to slaughter them:(((
Just a thought.
If Mr. Thorpe released the fish, why bring it up the embankment to the service road for the photo shoot ?
Another thought.
What a freakin’ week !
In regards to proper catch and release. I see too many people drag the fish to the service Rd, lay it down, get pictures, get an accurate weight with a bogo grip ( for what I have no idea) then measure it and carry it back down to the water. If your going to release it ( I applaud you for that) then keep it in the water, unhook it, revive it and let it properly swim off. If people are weighing fish so they can say they caught a 391/2 lb fish vs saying is was roughly 39 lbs that’s rediculus. This fishing is not in fire, it’s an inferno! I believe with the amount of fish being taken it will come back to haunt us in some way Enjoy and take care of this amazing resource
Lol your rite it will come back to bite us.
People dont realize if they let go all the fish they are catching next year would be even better.
Jist think about that guys????
Yeah what a week of death.
Don’t question my integrity – I’ve been fishing the Cape Cod Canal for close to 12 years now and I’ve never kept a fish. I’m the biggest proponent of catch & release you will ever find. In those 12 years I’ve only had 1 fish that I couldn’t revive and that was due to a gut hook. I did absolutely everything I could to revive it but it was to no avail and I was extremely upset to say the least. This is a tradition instilled in me by my father and one that I am passing on to my boys. Don’t be so quick to judge. You don’t know me at all.
@FishwiSh
Great Point! Perhaps On the Water will add ‘how to revive a bass’ to one of their TV Shows, to YouTube or an article in the next magazine?
I feel bad for stripers during breaking tides. It feels like murder especially this whole week.
Yeah especially since social media pointed out exactly when to be at the canal.5 years ago i wouldn’t see anyone fishing the breaking tides.
And the fish kept resurging every year. Now its a sad site seeing all of our sports fish laying in the grass.
These people are going to ruin it youll see.
I get sick to my stomach when i go to the canal now, unbelievable.
Catch and release without proper revival is not the problem.
People culling fish — or high grading them — is.
They catch a keeper, but keep fishing. They catch a bigger keeper — and let the dead smaller keeper float down the river. It is a disgusting practice that is very difficult to stop it.
Even if you see it with your own eyes — how do you prove to the Environmental Police that it happened? It would be your word against the poacher’s.
The rules need to change. Once you decide to kill and keep a striper — your day is over. You should not be allowed to continue fishing for hours with a dead keeper at your feet. The irony is, you cannot keep the fish alive. Then you ARE violating a rule. Either way, you invite culling — dumping a smaller keeper back in the drink to keep a larger one. That is the reason you see a conveyer belt of 12-15 lb bass floating down the Canal. NOT improper catch and release. Think about it. Did you see any dead 30 lbers floating by? I sure did not.
The ones you see floating bye are the ones that taste the best.
The ones everyone is killing and bringing home are the ones that are breeders and produce the most eggs.
The slot limit should be 28 to 38.
The rest should be released
you should see the amateurs release albies
all sweaty and about to die bc of pictures.
keep the fish close to water and revive em
don’t be an amateur
It is a good thing to see so many fisherman concerned about the proper release
And care of this resouce how about the age old theory of making the striped bass
A federal protected sport fish no commercial fishing and a 1 fish slot limit maybe
24 – 30 inch 1 per day let the breeders take care of the rest
Good tides and bent rods
O my god the fishing would be so good. We’d be catching bass all day long.
Unfortunately we will have wait awhile to let these meatheads deplete our fishery first.
But dont worry the internet will help speed things up.
I can’t even stand it in the spring when they post when and where they stock trout.
The canal has been a great resource for recreational and commercial fisherman for years. Cell phones and the internet has created a demon amongst the occasional fisherman. When the fish are in people have to bleep it out one way or another.. No longer does anyone have to put in time to travel daily to the canal and hunt these majestic predators. That energy and effort had kept those googans away. Anyone with a Walmart special and Bennie’s basement sale pole caught fish over that run. For those with the passion and commitment to put the time in we have given away the secrets to the canal. Its our fault. No one else’s. I would like to see more EPA’s around when the bite is on. I don’t know why they don’t know when the bite is hot and redirect their efforts at the canal. More enforcement will keep the ones without licenses and the poachers to a minimum. Hopefully keeping the floaters alive. We all need to talk to the idiot who doesn’t know how care for a landed fish and to revive a fish back to its environment. Everyone needs to have the EPA’s local number
Yup the sport has been over run with those who don’t care.I live twenty minutes from the Canal and don’t even bother going to the ” zoo”. Tournaments don’t help either. I’ve caught as many illegal fisherman this year as I have fish.
Environmental Police dispatch phone number for Massachusetts is 1-800-632-8075 please save on your cell phone,taking pictures helps too.
It’s really quite comical to read everyone’s comments. Granted we should all follow the rules of fishing and not fish without a license. I have five sons and two daughters who all love to fish. It is what we do, but we do it right. If you want to change the laws to slot limits, sizing, etc. then make proposals to your congressman and vote for it. We were all once newbies and what got us excited about fishing was catching our first keeper. One of my sons is unemployed and wouldn’t get a license. Guess what no fishing with the old man and he doesn’t drive. Several years ago my oldest son and I got into a late September school on live eels and we caught and released 26 mostly females over 40 inches. I admit my biggest was a 47 pounder I thought was a 50 and after several prayers and asking the Creator to take the fish’s soul, I thanked the fish, and took it home, took pictures and we all ate striped bass. It was very fulfilling and I am grateful. We are predators and we fish because we need to. If you are catching and releasing all of the fish you catch, even with a fly rod, which I do from time to time, then you are just as messed up as the foolish people who are trying to catch that bigger fish. Maybe we need an X Box game with head gear to simulate the fishing experience and let all the fish live and become abundant again. I mean really you catch the poor fish and then release them? What’s that all about? Maybe we should go to barrooms and pick a fight with the biggest person in the bar until we get beat up. It’s called sport. Being law abiding is the way to go and when the EP catch someone with three dozen short stripers now that is a great catch. I was a cop for 36 years and enjoyed catching people break the law, but many times I talked it out with them, depending on the severity of the crime and circumstances. My advice. Be grateful that you can have this incredible experience and that human beings are actually sharing info to help each other have a similar experience. Maybe then that feeling of fulfillment will prevent them from doing something else that’s not so good. After all how bad is a commercially licensed fisherman slaughtering his quota for sale at market. Some of my fishing pals do it. Where is line to be drawn? Follow the laws, talk to your fellow fishermen about it, and I’m glad the so called canal rats who were not nice to fisherman for many years have to share what God and man created for all. Did you also know that the first school in America was built on money from the sale of striped bass! Maybe the linesiders are educating us after all. Any way thank you to everyone for sharing your thoughts and feelings and secrets about fishing for striped bass and thank you to On The Water for this forum and opportunity. Enjoy the fishing and keep posting those pics. Take a kid fishing to the canal some time when the bite is on and get him on a pole with a live eel. FYI I got a 9 foot surf pole with a free spool bait caster from the free bouquet at the dump in Cohasset and I’m learning how to cast it and use it, transitioning from a spinning rod has been hard. You really have to use finesse and be conscious. It’s a lot of work practicing in Hull. It’s what my Dad used to use back in his day. It makes me connect with his spirit when I practice using a plug at Hull Gut. Can’t wait to use it at the Big Ditch at pole 215 @ The Cribbin with a giant yellow wooden Danny swimmer. Tight Lines everyone and if you have a little extra to donate, the folks in Texas are out in the water everywhere they go, but there are no fish. For free music, my band and I are at http://www.rickbarronandthequavers.bandcamp. Hope to meet more fishermen and fisherladies at the canal soon.
If a fisherman has followed the rules and kept what he’ll eat there’s nothing wrong with releasing fish to help keep the numbers up. More dead fish now means less fish later plain and simple.
While we’re talking about the canal people need to pack their trash out with them. There’s way to much litter there.
Every trip I make I throw out trash from liter bugs who don’t respect the beauty of the Canal.