Some days, loud, unnatural colors outperform realistic patterns.
Above: The bones are back in town. Good bonito action at the Hooter this week, with some reports of bonito in closer to shore.
Shops from Sagamore to the Vineyard were buzzing about the good Canal fishing this week, but there’s also bonito, blues, sharks, and promising signs for a banner albie season.
“Amazing,” is what Jeff at Canal Bait and Tackle said of the recent fishing. Matching the mackerel is the key to catching. He said topwaters and soft-plastic paddletails are working.
Patrick at Eastman’s led off his report by mentioning the good Canal action with bass eating tinker mackerel. He followed it up saying that squid in the Monomoy Rips had brought in some fish.
The Hooter has lots of bonito, bluefish, and black sea bass, Patrick said. Some of those bonito have trickled into Buzzards Bay as well. Patrick also heard of big numbers of Bonito out at Block Island, so he thinks the bonito fishing should keep getting better.
Patrick has also been seeing tons of bait along the South Side of the Cape, more than he’s seen. This bodes well for the arrival of albies. As for now, though, there’s only bluefish in there.
The southeast corner of the Dump is holding yellowfin and mahi, as are the shipping lanes. Hydro and Lydonia had the most promising recent canyon reports, Patrick said.
Fluke fishing is best off Gay Head and in Quicks Hole, unless you want to run south of Nantucket.
On Martha’s Vineyard, beside steady action at the Hooter, bonito have been “here and there” around the island, Peter at Larry’s Tackle said. Some are being taken from shore though. There are small blues off the east side of the island, and the north side is producing stripers from 18 to 22 pounds after dark.
Peter said there’s been a squid bite in Edgartown Harbor, which is a little early for the squid to be back. In addition to the squid, there’s a lot of bait around the Vineyard, including sand eels and peanut bunker. There was even a big school of adult bunker, which had attracted some thresher sharks not far off the Island.
The Canal has been good for the past three days, reported Matt at Maco’s. The morning action has been best, but there are some fish being caught all day. Matt said Buzzards Bay has been “not bad” for fluke, and that there are some bigger bluefish around, but they have been spotty.
Mackerel blitzes in the Canal, reported the crew at Red Top. Jigs are the ticket. Some bass are being caught by the boats in Cape Cod Bay, with trolling being the primary tactic right now.
According to the report from Sports Port, there have been some Spanish mackerel caught off the South Side in recent days. Bluefish are biting well at Handkerchief Shoal, and the Canal is fishing well. Sports Port is also hosting a Free FIshing Derby on September 18 at Sandy Neck, with prizes, raffles, and other fun fishing activities.
Fishing Forecast for Cape Cod
The August new moon didn’t disappoint. Even if (or when) the Canal blitzes fizzle out, there should be some fish, at the very least schoolies, in there most mornings feeding on the massive numbers of peanut bunker. The bonito fishing should just keep getting better, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we get a good number of them close to shore this year. There’s so much bait around, that there’s a good chance that could happen. If you’re taking a boat out on Buzzards Bay or off the South Side, you never want to be without a rod rigged with a small metal or soft plastic as bonito or Spanish mackerel could pop up anywhere.
Tuna fishing is steady. There are big fish east of Chatham, and with the commercial fishing closed until September, there’s will be less pressure on the giant-sized fish, as fishermen wait for better reports of recreational keepers. The canyons, the shipping lanes, and the Dump are a good bet for yellowfin and mahi.
