Early this week, the ponds were open around the Cape, but a mid-week freeze put a skim back on some waters. It’s the type of winter that forces you to organize your fishing gear because fishing options have been few with the off-and-on ice conditions.
The biggest news this week was the 19-inch cod taken out of the Canal, according to AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods. He didn’t have any details on the catch other than the fact that it had been released. He speculated that it had been caught on a jig in the East End, but said it’s possible that the fish was taken on clams.
Before I heard about the fish from AJ, I’d heard it through the grapevine, and the single 19-inch cod had been transformed into multiple cod, caught by a fisherman who had been jigging them up all winter long. That’s not unrealistic, but it is unlikely. The toughest part to believe is that someone is actually going out to fish for cod in the Canal in January. Still, if you like wild goose chases, spend an hour bouncing a jig and teaser in the East End of the Canal. If you’re really ambitious, grab some clams at a local fish market, and fish them on the bottom at slack tide.
Last year, Eddy Stahowiak and I chunked some clams on Scusset Beach on a mild February night, but all we fed were crabs.
Freshwater options remain the same – pickerel and bass on shiners in the open small ponds, and trout on stickbaits and spoons in the larger open ponds.
Before Tuesday night’s fridgid temps skimmed over some of the Cape’s brackish waters, a few fishermen were catching white perch. Andy Nabreski took a few home, and has been singing their praises since. Look for his white perch recipes in the March Issue of On The Water.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
If you’re an Eagles fan like me, and you relish long odds and unlikely victories, take a crack at Canal cod fishing before donning your midnight green and watching the big game. Soaking clams on the bottom during slack water will be your best bet at connecting with some type of coldwater denizen.
For a higher-percentage game, check the trout ponds that have opened up where football browns may be cruising the shoreline. Small soft plastics, stickbaits, and live shiners are best for the browns. Spoons and stickbaits will work better for rainbows.
i hope you catch one…..GO PATS!!!
Don’t forget that “woolly buggers” on a fly rod work relatively well for cruising trout in the shallows on sunny afternoons when the ice is out.
I wouldn’t imagine that inshore cod from shore is that big of a long shot this year, considering that this past season the inshore cod class were on the rebound and omnipresent. Of course, while haddock fishing in May & June on Stellwagen, you had to go out of your way to avoid catching their offshore relatives, so I have to believe with the draconian recreational restrictions in place that there have to be cod somewhere nearby and within casting distance.
The canal may be a good bet but I have no experience there (a search in some fishing forums would yield good info on potential hot spots there, however). In the past years my exposure to cod from shore was virtually entirely north shore based. My bet would be from Boston to Plymouth, and jigs with a teaser would at least allow you enjoy some casting activity and test some new tackle. Evening and dusk would be best, especially if you get the right wind on a mild night.