Cape Cod Fishing Report - September 28, 2017

above: Jack Loveday and friends have been having a fun fall run fishing on Martha’s Vineyard.

Last week’s weather definitely shifted things around a bit. While the Canal striper run has hit a lull, the South Side striper run is kicking into high gear. Albies aren’t as thick as they were before the storm, but small blues have arrived in massive numbers. Best of all, the baitfish are even thicker than they were before the storm. Peanut bunker, silversides, bay anchovies, and adult bunker continue to swarm around Cape Cod, providing hope that October still has some fantastic fall run fishing in store.

South Side and Islands Fishing Report

It seems like the huge numbers of albies that were holding from Falmouth to Hyannis moved after the storm with some heading west and others heading east. The waters around Monomoy are loaded with albies reported Matt from Fishy Business Sportfishing. Woods Hole and the Elizabeth Islands has similar numbers of false albacore. The western albies have been finicky, however, as they have so much natural bait to choose from, it’s been difficult to get their attention with an artificial lure. While skipping metals was the best bet earlier in the albie season, this week, soft plastics, specifically Albie Snax, have been getting most of the strikes.

John at Eastmans Sport and Tackle reported that the water in Vineyard Sound is still a toasty 68 degrees (with Buzzards Bay still hovering at 70), so he thinks the slowdown in the fishing is temporary. John also noted that the weather hasn’t been too friendly to fishermen of late, from last week’s winds to this week’s fog. With colder temperatures and some North winds coming Thursday night, fog should no longer be an issue, and falling temperatures could reignite the bite.

On the Vineyard, Melissa of Larry’s Tackle Shop reported the albie fishing slowed this week as big numbers of small bluefish moved in. Bonito, too, appeared to hit the high road after Jose blew through. The highlight of Melissa’s report was the return of some good stripers to the Vineyard surf. With most fishermen competing in the Derby, she said the details of the catches had been kept under wraps, but that the north shore of the Island was the best bet for connecting with a quality striper. The boat-division leading 33-pound striper was taken this past week.

More quality stripers were reported on the South Side this week from Bill at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis. Sports Port had weighed bass as large as 22 pounds, and heard of fish to 44 inches. Some of these bigger bass have been moving into the harbors to feed on adult bunker. Schoolies and smaller keepers are also being caught in the harbors and South Side beaches, especially around sunset, when they have been blitzing on peanut bunker.

Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal Fishing Report

While the water is still a bit warm for tog, a few are being caught. Bring plenty of bait, however, as there are bait-stealers galore with small sea bass, scup, and undersized tog stacked up on the rocky structures of Buzzards Bay. As water temperatures drop, these bait-stealers will thin out.

Small bluefish are thick in Buzzards Bay. Finding some diving birds and casting metals or topwaters into the mix is all it takes to hook up.

Some stripers are still being caught in the Canal according to the report from Red Top Sporting Goods. The hours before first light are best, and paddletails or jigs on the bottom are getting the bites.

The big news in the Canal this week has been the false albacore. They’ve been popping up throughout the day, and fishermen have been catching them all the way to the East End. According to the Red Top crew, the amount of small bait in the Canal has been staggering. Silversides, peanut bunker, and anchovies are loaded into the Canal now.

Cape Cod Bay and Lower Cape Fishing Report

Bill at Sports Port reported 25-pound stripers being taken by fishermen trolling tube-and-worm rigs in Cape Cod Bay. There’s been little word of bass on the Outer Cape, but bluefin action is good. Fishermen are catching fish from 30-inch footballs to 80-inch giants. The bluefin have been picky, as they turn to small butterfish. The key, according to Matt at Fishy Business, is to get as many casts in front of the tuna as possible in order to find one that’s willing to eat.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod Fishing Report

Scale down the tackle, and enjoy a weekend of throwing small lures to albies, schoolies, and bluefish. The next wave of big bass probably won’t move through until closer to the full moon on October 5. In the meantime, take advantages of the blitzes of small bass, small blues, and albies. For albies, Monomoy Sounds like the best bet, while just about any South Side beach or harbor is a good bid for finding bass and blues.