Skim ice on puddles, ponds, and even some salt ponds last weekend gave us a preview of what’s waiting for Cape Cod fishermen over the next few months, but thankfully, milder temperatures have returned.
Trout fishing is still very good. Ponds like Peters, Cliff, and Sheep are producing good action with rainbows and some good-sized brown trout as well. Gold spoons, stickbaits, and spinners are working, but fishermen are also having luck fishing live shiners and nightcrawlers. The nightcrawlers are often “blown up” with a Lindy Worm Blower, a small tool that places an air pocket inside the worm, causing it to float off the bottom at eye-level with cruising trout.
One of my favorite trout lures this time of year is a 1/16-ounce maribou or tube jig. Trout, and occasionally big trout, can’t resist it. The tradeoff is these jigs don’t cast very well, so the trout need to be close in order for them to catch.
Largemouth bass will be biting lipless crankbaits, shallow-diving crankbaits, soft-plastic swimbaits, and jerkbaits. Shiners are also working well. Smallies are starting to stage over the deeper humps, though you can still find some shallow enough to strike jerkbaits. On the deeper humps, smallies fall for blade baits and drop-shot rigs. Often, this is the time of year when fishermen catch their largest smallies of the season.
Since some of the best trout ponds are also some of the best smallmouth ponds, boat and kayak fishermen can enjoy a cold combo trip, trolling for trout, then vertical jigging for smallies.
Pickerel are biting well, as the weeds recede and these miniature members of the esox clan go back on the prowl. Spinners, jerkbaits, and swim jigs all work very well, but a shiner is tough to beat. I like to target pickerel with the fly rod because big pickerel seem to be much more willing to strike a fly than big bass.
Perch are packing on the ounces as the waters cool off. I’ve been catching the occasional jumbo perch while targeting bass, but fishermen scaling down their lures and tackle could have a blast catching big perch. Crappie, in the few Southeast Massachusetts ponds that have them, will be biting well also.
There hasn’t been much talk about the saltwater scene lately. There are holdover stripers to be caught, and perhaps a few tog still holding on the deeper structures in Buzzards Bay or around Martha’s Vineyard. Cod fishing should also be picking up around Coxes Ledge and other structures within range of the South Side of the Cape.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
Freshwater options abound, and with the good numbers of brown trout being caught, there’s a good chance to catch a trophy trout right now. The Sandwich Hatchery stocked some impressive specimens last spring, and those that survived the summer will be cruising the shorelines looking for a big meal. Don’t be afraid to throw a larger stickbait or spoon when looking for a bomber brown trout.