above: What a fish! Larry’s Tackle Shop weighed in a monster 11.40-pound bonito, caught from shore by Tony Jackson.
Finally, the weather matches the calendar and evenings are getting downright frosty, but there are still plenty of small stripers around for catch and release fun. And, believe it or not, it was an excellent week for albies and bonito on Martha’s Vineyard! Tautog fishing is also good, and fresh water fish are feeding, especially trout.
Cape Cod Striped Bass Fishing Report
The large number of small schoolie stripers, mostly in the 12- to 15-inch range, feeding heavily around the Cape are keeping anglers entertained. The east end of the Cape Cod Canal has been loaded with fish in recent days, reported Canal Bait and Tackle in Sagamore. Fishermen are using light tackle and single-hook lures and having a great time catching and releasing the little guys. Small bass are also picking away under birds along the south side from Woods Hole to Hyannis, reported John from Eastmans Sport and Tackle in Falmouth.
Small jigs, tins, and soft plastics with single hooks are the best baits to use right now, reported Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay.
Bill at SportsPort Bait and Tackle in Hyannis reported schoolies inside Hyannis Harbor and Lewis Bay as of Wednesday this week.
This could very well be the last weekend to get out and enjoy this schoolie striper action before the fish depart or settle into holdover areas.
Cape Cod False Albacore/Bonito Report
The big news over on Martha’s Vineyard is that the incredible albie season has continued – as of Thursday morning, fishermen were still catching albies at Edgartown Harbor, The Gut, Menemsha, Tashmoo. As we’ve predicted for the past few weeks, this weekend is most likely your last shot at an albie or bonito, but who knows?
There were a number of bonito caught this week as well, including a massive 11-pounder taken by a shore fisherman, reported Steve from Larry’s Tackle Shop. The squid bite has also been quite good at night in Edgartown Harbor. There’s still loads and loads of bait around, including silversides and butterfish.
Cape Cod Tautog Report
Tautog fishing is going well in Buzzards Bay, base don fishermen who keep coming into shops like Red Top Sporting Goods and buying green crabs. With waters finally cooling, the tautog will be sliding into slightly deeper water.
Cape Cod Freshwater Report
The fall trout stocking finished up earlier this month, with Cape ponds receiving a few thousand fat rainbow trout. Holdover brown trout have been biting in places like Peters Pond in Sandwich, where they are cruising the shorelines in the mornings and evenings. Bass and pickerel activity has been very good with fish feeding on the young-of-year river herring making their way out of ponds that have herring runs.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
We’re lucky to still have a ton of bait and small bass around, so get out and enjoy it with some light tackle at the east end of the Canal or along the south side of the Cape. If you’re over on the Vineyard, keep fishing for albies because they’ll be gone eventually. Sunday is looking like a good day to get out and do some tautog fishing if your boat is still in the water or on a trailer.