Cape Cod Fishing Report - June 11, 2020

It’s been difficult to qualify this striped bass season. While the Cape saw an early influx of schoolies, the larger, keeper and “over-slot” fish were unusually late. Still today, on June 11, many fishermen would say the big bass are running late.

There are large stripers in Rhode Island and large stripers in Boston, and there are some big bass on the Cape, but the big schools of big migratory fish have been missing, or are holding elsewhere.

Massive numbers of bunker (a.k.a. pogies, a.k.a. menhaden) hit the Cape this spring, first off the South Side, then into Buzzards Bay, now also on the backside and in Cape Cod Bay. Big bunker are a magnet for big stripers. But, when there are tons of bunker around, not every school will have stripers hounding it.

According to Cole Freeman at Red Top Sporting Goods, the Canal, after an unusually slow start, is showing signs of improvement, with some larger fish beginning to show. Bone-colored SP Minnows, and pink soft-plastic paddle tails, like the Al Gag’s Whip-It Fish have been the top producers so far. We’re a week away from the very popular “breaking tides,” which occur when the west-to-east tide change coincides with dawn, but that doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish.

The bunker schools in Buzzards Bay seem to be holding the most larger stripers of anywhere around the Cape right now. Jim at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle said fishermen able to find bunker schools with stripers on them are catching on topwater plugs and on live bunker. Remember, all bait fishing for striped bass must be done with a circle hook.

Captain Mel True of Fishnet Charters emphasized that the topwater fishing has been best during the mornings. At times, the bass have been finicky, only responding to live bait, so spending a little time filling the livewell could pay off big time when you come across the fish.

Martha’s Vineyard is also seeing some larger bass, particularly for surfcasters, who had fish to 36 inches this week according to Sam at Larry’s Tackle Shop. Sam said the larger bass are joining the massive amount of schoolies that have the island surrounded.

Vineyard Sound rips like Middle Ground have good numbers of 24- to 28-inch stripers reported Jim at Eastman’s.  The stripers have been feeding on the young-of-year squid, making white flies, soft plastics, and topwaters the best baits.

Bluefish continue to crash the party now and then. Captain Mel True has been seeing them mixed with the bass around the bunker schools. Jim at Eastman’s said they are appearing occasionally off the Falmouth Beaches, and Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle said fishermen are consistently catching blues off the South Side jetties and beaches from Cotuit east.

Black sea bass fishing is still

very good, but seems to be tapering off from its seasonal peak last week. Captain Ross of Cape Cod Charter Guys is continuing to put together limit catches of big fish for his customers, as is Captain Mel True, who has been focusing on the 25- to 40-foot depths for the sea bass.

The bigger sea bass seem to have cleared off the wrecks, said Sam at Larry’s Tackle, having been replaced by undersized fish. Jim at Eastman’s suggested looking deeper for the bigger sea bass.

Of interest to bottom fishermen is the good cod fishing that’s been happening unusually close to shore. Steve of Chaser Offshore Fishing, who usually fishes Coxes Ledge for cod this time of year has been finding them off Gay Head and Southwest Shoal, with fish to 9 or 10 pounds in the mix. He’d even heard of some picked up in Vineyard Sound!

Fluke fishing is off to a slow start. There are plenty of throwbacks, but keeper fish have been few and far between.

Short stripers continue to dominate the catch in Cape Cod Bay, reported Amy at Sports Port, though there have been a few fish in the 30-inch range out there.

Simion at BlackBeards Bait and Tackle had heard of some larger fish, 36 to 40 inches, working into the bay, where he’s already heard of big schools of bunker. There have also been large stripers off the backside, but Simion said many are skirting the 3-mile line. For schoolies to 30-inchers, however, fishermen have been having good luck off the beaches, both on the ocean side and the Cape Cod Bay side.

Steve of Chaser Offshore has heard some talk of tuna coming from down south, and plans to take his first exploratory trip in the next week.

Freshwater fishing remains good, with largemouth and smallmouth bass biting well in the ponds. Topwaters are working for the largemouths while tubes and Ned rigs are fooling the smallies.

Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod

A windy and stormy Thursday is giving way to a perfect weekend, with light winds and flat seas – perfect conditions for tracking down a school of large migratory stripers. Cruising through Cape Cod Bay may be a bit like playing the lottery, but it could pay off big with big school of big stripers swinging around Race Point. You could also run down the back side of the Cape to look for the schools of bass working their way north along those beaches. There were a few reports of menhaden stranded on dry sand after being driven ashore by hungry predators. It’s just as likely to be seals as stripers driving the bait, but if there are bunker moving along the backside, any stripers out there are bound to find it.

From shore, fishing after dark at the Canal is the best shot for a fish over 28 inches, though there have been increasing reports of 30-inch fish mixing in with the schoolies along the South Side beaches.

If you’re looking for a sea bass limit, try some deeper structure, and skip the wrecks, as they are covered in undersized fish and scup. If you’d like to take a crack at cod, the weather looks perfect for making an exploratory trip. If you’re going to run all the way to Coxes for cod, be sure to have some tuna gear with you, just in case.