Cape Cod Fishing Report - April 26, 2018

My Instagram and Facebook feeds are starting to light up with pictures of locally-caught stripers, some holdovers and some believed to be migratory fish, but the word at most Cape Cod tackle shops is that the fresh fish are yet to arrive on the Cape.

On Martha’s Vineyard, however, it’s another story. On Wednesday morning, a number of anglers found willing stripers on the south shore of the Island, by casting small plugs and jigs. The stripers were small, but a welcome sight after this long winter.

Fishing Report For Cape Cod

Holdovers are all over the Cape reported Jeff from Canal Bait and Tackle. Fish up to 28 inches have been caught, with some even coming from the west end of the Canal. John at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle reported a 24-incher taken on a jig in the Canal this week. As of Thursday, the herring hadn’t hit the Bournedale run, but Jeff expects those fish to be there within the week, and some fresh stripers with them.

While most of the shops are stocking green crabs, few fishermen have been out for tog. John at Eastman’s heard of one fishermen finding fish along the Elizabeth Islands, but for the most part, the weather has kept tog fishermen at the dock.

Same goes for squid. We’ve heard no news of them moving in, and haven’t spoken to anyone working the local lighted docks. Everything is running a little behind this year, but the squid should move in soon.

Freshwater is still great. AJ at Red Top has checked in three largemouth bass over 7 pounds the past two weeks. Trout fishing is still going strong, with more big browns being caught this week, along with some tigers. AJ said small shiners have been a hot bait for the bigger trout.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

With the first flurry of schoolies hitting the vineyard, we’re a week or so away from a full-on schoolie maelstrom all over the Cape. Small, white soft-plastic jigs are an excellent choice for early schoolies, and it’s always a good idea to pinch the barb on the hook. Most of these fish will be well short of the legal limit.

While waiting for the striper fishing to fire up, it’s prime time to hook a big largemouth bass or brown trout. Live bait is working best for the biggest of the big, but artificial lures are getting plenty of action too. The ponds are warming quickly now, and bass are cruising the shallows looking for an easy meal.