Cape Cod Fishing Report - October 11, 2018

Things ought to be winding down on the saltwater scene around Cape Cod, but with 70-degree temperatures and fishermen hitting the surf in short sleeves this week, it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

The fish seem to be in no hurry to leave either. Fishing for stripers and blues is still going strong, albies are around, and some small tuna joined the giants this week.

Cape Cod Fishing Report

Captain Mel True of Fishnet Charters has been fishing eels from his boat in Cape Cod Bay, where daytime tides produced fish to 25 pounds this week. Mel had also heard of good fishing around Monomoy, though by Thursday, he said the larger bass seemed to have been replaced by schoolies and small keepers.

In Cape Cod Bay, Mel said there are also some good-sized bluefish around.

The blues are plentiful, but small, around Martha’s Vineyard, where Peter at Larry’s Tackle is calling it the land of 18-inch bluefish. The northeast winds moved some better bass to the Vineyard, where Peter said fishermen working the South Side of the island had good luck this week. Among the stripers caught was a 37-pounder, the new shore division leader in the Derby, which wraps up on Saturday.

The albie fishing has been “average” says Peter. The best fishing seems to be happening between 6:45 and 7:30 in the morning, with anglers struggling to  catch fish throughout the rest of the day. Peter heard that there are albies aplenty off the South Side of Nantucket, and hopes they’ll move back into Vineyard waters for the second half of the month.

Albies are still running the South Side of Cape Cod, where James at Sports Port says the fish are extremely finicky as they feed on small bait. James said there’s a lot happening around the South Side right now, with schoolie stripers in all the backwaters, some bigger stripers around the outlets after dark, some bluefish, and improving tog fishing around the rocks.

Tog are also being caught around the West End of the Canal according to the crew at Maco’s. Thursday was a good day in the Canal with big bluefish, stripers to 30 pounds, and albies running through reported Chris at Red Top. White swimmers and topwaters have been working.

Fishermen on the tuna grounds reported some smaller, 48-inch tuna around this week. These tuna have been a bit finicky, but persistent anglers have been getting bites.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

The fall run is going strong, but it could end quickly. While the weather is warm, fish use more cues than temperature to determine when to migrate. Still, with the numbers of fish around, it seems like we can expect good fishing through the full moon at the end of the month.

For stripers, plenty of options for keepers this week between the South Side, Monomoy, and Cape Cod Bay. Schoolies are everywhere, willing to bite small plugs or soft plastics.

For bigger bluefish, check the Canal or Cape Cod Bay, and for albies, set the alarm early, since it seems like they are biting best just after first light.