Fishing Report for Cape Cod
The first ice fishing opportunity on Cape Cod in a few years came and went in a matter of days this past weekend, but fishermen wasted no time getting on the ice.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle said he sold out of shiners on Saturday, and Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle made a Sunday morning run to restock his shiner supply. Fishermen hit the ice all over the Cape, setting tip ups and catching a mix of bass, pickerel, and perch. A few fishermen even found fishable ice on trout ponds, where rainbow trout made flags fly.
I’ve heard it said that first ice and last ice brings the best fishing, and if you got out this weekend on Cape Cod, you fished both at once, as this week’s rains undoubtedly compromised the ice conditions – for the time being. Quite a few reports of steady flags came in, with largemouth bass to 5 pounds and pickerel to 25 inches.
I got on the ice on Sunday afternoon, with my daughter, meeting up with OTW’s Andy Nabreski and Chris Megan. Two of Andy’s friends had staked out some prime real estate, and by the time we arrived, they’d had 24 flags on the day, and we watch them chase down at least another 10. Finally after some tip-up musical chairs, Maura and I got our first flags on our new tip-ups, and she ended landing a big pickerel and a healthy bass.
Elsewhere, my friend Ger Khang and his son, Gus, had a busy day on the ice, with Gus catching a mix of big pickerel and bass. Gus, at just 5 years old, is a dedicated fisherman, and at an age when most of us were fishing worms under bobbers for bluegills, is already able to cast a baitcaster and retrieve a swimbait with much larger quarry in mind.
Several lakes haven’t iced over at all, including Peter’s Pond, where Derrick at Red Top said the trout fishing has slowed a bit, with fishermen catching quality over quantity recently. With the trout being more lethargic on account of the colder temperatures, bait is probably a better option over lures right now. Small shiners, worms, or PowerBait should all work.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
Don’t count on any fishable ice interfering with your Super Bowl Plans, but the long range forecast shows promise for spending Valentine’s Day on this ice. That leaves trout as the best option for now. Look to the bigger ponds, like Peter’s, Mashpee-Wakeby, John’s, and Cliff as the most likely bets for open water.
You can also dream of warmer fishing, with our latest episode of OTW TV, that we posted this past week, spring run schoolies on the Cape. And this Sunday, episode 2, Buzzards Bay black sea bass, will be airing on NBC Sports Boston
Go get em Gus!