Cape Cod Fishing Report- January 20, 2022

Over the past week, inconsistent temperatures and strong winds across much the Northeast have kept anglers off the ice for the most part. Here on the Cape, ice formed briefly on some small ponds, but not enough to safely fish through. Many ponds sit untouched, covered in an icy slush awaiting Mother Nature to make up her mind and bless us with either solid ice, or no ice at all.

Keeping a keen eye on the forecasted temperatures and conditions has allowed me to get on the water only once within the last week. On a windy day with gusts of nearly 45 miles per hour from the south, I found a small window to fish the southern corner of Grews Pond in Falmouth. The sun peeked out from behind dense clouds, and the skies gave way to a few short-lived sunshowers. I didn’t catch any fish in the two or three hours that I spent wading the still-icy shoreline. Truthfully, I was just happy to have found a place to cast around and stand in the sun after nearly a week without fishing.

There have not been too many options for anglers on the Cape, as we teeter on the fence of freezing almost daily. I took a drive around Falmouth and Mashpee, and even a bit further east in hopes of finding creeks which may hold some white perch, but I came up empty. The key to success right now seems to be watching closely for open water, and seizing the opportunity when you find it.

Out in Hyannis, local angler Jack Renfrew saw a gap in the weather which thawed out one of his favorite local trout ponds, and he wasted no time getting a line in the water.

For Jack, the night bite is the right bite. When there’s a window of opportunity for no ice, he jumps at it. With a bucket of bait and some Rapala’s, he frequents local kettle lakes in search of fish just like this one. According to Jack, the fish come in rather shallow when darkness falls- so although cold, night fishing can be productive. Changing locations and avoiding too much pressure on one lake will increase your chances of hooking into some quality fish.

This time of year, timing and persistence is everything. I typically wouldn’t think to fish the freshwater at night in temperatures like these, but clearly there is something to it! Over the next week or so, it’s worth keeping an eye on overnight air temperatures. Make note of a couple trout ponds near you, and scout the shoreline for a spot or two to give it a go. Fishing with lighted bobbers will help at night if you plan to use bait, otherwise a lure with a good, heavy rattle should bring some attention from a hungry, weary fish.

Tom at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay even reported some fly anglers catching salter brook trout in Red Brook. Brook trout, in my experience, are the most aggressive of the trout species around here- although I have never caught a Tiger Trout, and I can imagine they have a similar attitude. These fish in Red Brook are native brookies, and as a result, they are well protected and monitored in the area. Please use caution when handling these delicate fish, and practice proper catch and release if you do plan on targeting them.

Cape Cod Fishing Forecast

There isn’t much else to do but try; try new baits, try new spots, try to wish for better conditions in the coming week. Ice formation would give anglers better access to largemouth and smallmouth bass, chain pickerel and yellow perch- while warmer air temperatures could continue to leave the option of kayaking available on big water like Mashpee/Wakeby Pond. It’s a waiting game, and like all of us, it’s got me anxious and antsy for the first sign of open water.

Perhaps in the coming week, I’ll give the night bite for trout a try. I’d love for the waters to stay open overnight rather than freezing over, this way I could plan for an early pre-work fishing excursion. White perch will hopefully be available in many of their usual haunts, and I have even given some thought to fishing for holdover stripers if our temps will allow for it. For now, I’ll be spending my spare time organizing my tackle and prepping my gear for the Spring fishing season. We’re headed towards the end of January, which means the beginning of the herring run is right around the corner, and in the weeks that follow, we can count on some good freshwater bass fishing.