Cold nights are really getting the baitfish on the move around Cape Cod. Peanut bunker and silversides are flushing out of bays and harbors, and huge numbers of schoolie stripers and cocktail bluefish are waiting there to greet them.
The wind has been brutal, however, and has kept many fishermen home. But for those willing to suffer a little wind-burn, the fall run fishing is still going strong, though it may be time to break out some lighter tackle.
It was a slow week for both bass and tog, reported Captain Mel True of Fishnet Charters. Mel blamed the wind for the difficult fishing. He did report seeing schools of albies zipping around the South Coast while he was hunting tog and stripers. Mel spent Thursday quail hunting, saying that when the wind’s blowing too hard to fish this time of year, he goes hunting.
The Canal has plenty of smaller stripers, reported the Red Top crew, with reliable action happening every day around first and last light. Most of the fish are small, but some keeper-sized fish are moving through. Baitfish are plentiful in the Canal, and the word at Red Top is that another wave of big fish should be moving through.
Fish to 36 inches were reported on the South Side this week. The larger fish have been biting after dark. During the day, swarms of schoolies are feasting on peanut bunker.
John from Eastman’s Sport and Tackle said the lack of reports is due to the wind, and not a lack of fish. The fishermen who have been getting out are catching. There are even some albies still in the mix, John said.
I briefly connected with a false albacore from shore on Monday, but the fish escaped capture. While there’s a chance that could be my last albie encounter of 2018, I’m thinking there will be another shot this weekend.
John was encouraged by all the bait still around, as well as the warm water temperatures.
On the Vineyard, the albie bite has bounced back a little. Peter at Larry’s Tackle said shore-bound anglers are catching a mix of albies and bones.
There’s also plenty of big bait around the island with both adult bunker and squid. Fishermen have been snagging and dropping the bunker for bass and big blues. The squid are being used as bait on the South Side of the Island where fishermen are catching plenty of stripers said Peter.
When the wind allows, the tog fishing is good and getting better said Amy from Sports Port. The structures in Nantucket Sounds are loaded with tog, and fishermen should be able to find a limit fairly easily.
And of course, there’s freshwater. The ponds are fishing very well, with bass, trout, pickerel, and panfish all feeding furiously as the temperatures drop.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
The wind won’t be cutting us any slack this weekend, but the shore fishing shouldn’t suffer too much. Fishermen can still take casts at albies on the South Side, and schoolie stripers just about everywhere. Scale down your tackle, crush your barbs, and have fun fishing for schoolies during the day, then break out the big plugs and stiff rods for bigger bass after dark.
Thx jimmy 4 another great article.
I’ve been doing good at the ccc 3 hours before high tide but the wind has been troublesome.
I fish the canal 5 days a week 5-7am. Not a bite for two weeks. Numerous bites from albies but all got away. Where are the stripers?
After having six operations on my hips and knees all replaced, and an intestinal hernia patch, my days of climbing up and down the canal rocks are over. Sadly this limits my ability and I have come close a couple of times of trying, to going head first into the ripping canal. I fish at the Maritime now and where there is sand at low tide and I can safely climb. I’ve been catching schoolie size stripers on jigs and squid off the bottom. Lots of bait in the water and being chased by small fish. This week you could see the albies jumping out of the water in the middle of the canal but I couldn’t cast that far. A 30 lb bass was weighed in at Red Top at the beginning of the week from early AM fishing and rumor is that the biggest fish are around the Sagamore bridge both sides. I used to be able to fish in Cohasset where I live at Cunningham’s bridge where Squirrel fishes every day but it’s been 2 years now that they’ve been replacing the old bridge with a new one. Federal money always spends longer. It’s so frustrating. I was swimming at Sandy beach out front in Cohasset and surrounded by schoolies chasing sperling. Maybe I’ll go back to fly fishing and put away my old plugging stick and Danny type plugs. He who really cares, the Patriots are back and the Sox are in the World Series. Go SOX!!.
Sucks to hear about the operations. Try east jetty power plant side first light. Ez to get to and lots of fun with jigs. Need to bounce them off the bottom.
That fish 15 years old. Cool.
anyone still catching albies on west end of canal or buzzards bay?