On Saturday we experienced our first blizzard of the year. Like many of us, I sat inside waiting for the snow to stop so I could hunt down some safely fishable ice. The roads didn’t agree with me, and although I managed to drive to a couple local spots, I could tell upon arrival that the lakes were either not fully frozen, or covered by too much snow to risk “testing the waters”.
A couple days later, my new ice fishing rod arrived in the mail. I still haven’t gotten a chance to break it in. Luckily, we’re only in the first week of February and the groundhog saw it’s shadow, so we might get a few more opportunities for safe ice. With finally enough ice to fish, anglers around the Cape are finding productive waters and catching fish in the slushy, wet conditions we’ve been dealt.
When fishing through the ice, drop-offs, weedlines and open patches of either rock or sand seem to be the key areas where anglers are finding success. Species like yellow perch will congregate in large schools, stacked on top of each other- and if you happen to drill a hole close enough to them you’re in for some good fun.
From the Shops
Anglers are jumping at the chance to get on some safe ice before we lose it. It seems like the past two weeks, ice has been melting just as quickly as it’s formed. However, this past week has seen productive fishing through the ice for a wide range of species. Everything is biting: pickerel, perch, bass, crappie and a flurry of trout as well.
Evan over at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle has been selling lots of shiners. Locals around Falmouth have been getting out onto smaller ponds that are still holding safe ice (although after today, that ice may be treacherous). Most anglers have been targeting bass and perch, but black crappies are in the mix along with chain pickerel reported as bycatch for largemouth bass.
Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzard’s Bay reported similar findings from their customers. They’re selling shiners left and right, so if you plan to fish with live bait through the ice you’ve got to get it quick! Reports of yellow perch, bass and crappies are in the mix up around Buzzard’s Bay and Plymouth, and the ice is more likely to hold out for a bit longer off Cape.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis is also flying through shiners for ice anglers. On Tuesday she had several anglers in the store for shiners- they were fishing through the ice for whatever bites on local waters like Shubael Pond. Other anglers have been fishing Wequaquet Lake trying for northern pike, but no confirmed catches of a rare Cape Cod ice pike have come in yet. Sports Port is carrying shiners and all varieties of worms for trout fishing, and Amy will be receiving more live bait on Friday.
Other than ice fishing, white perch in estuaries are again a possibility as the ice begins to thaw out. If there’s no safe ice, open water may be a viable option for fishing with live bait again after the weekend, but only time will tell!
From the Shore
Snowfall brought in consistently cold weather for ice fishing, but the pre-storm bites are also usually very productive. Before the blizzard, local fisherman Hunter Thayer was able to catch some quality fish after finding some safe ice on Cape. He caught several healthy chain pickerel of good size, and a whole slew of chunky yellow perch that were stacked up in schools.
After the storm, the safe ice held for most of the week. On The Water’s Editor Jimmy Fee wasted no time, and snuck out onto the ice before work yesterday morning. His early morning efforts rewarded him with a handful of healthy bass.
Further north in the greater Plymouth area, the ice has held better than it has on the Cape. Last week there were reports of some bass and black crappie coming through the ice, and this week, largemouth bass continue to keep ice rods bent. For the fishing duo of James Marino and Jack Houghton, the icy waters near Plymouth yielded several largemouth bass for each of them.
Fishing Forecast
I’m no meteorologist, but by anticipating weather conditions and air temperatures I can try to gauge my fishing possibilities for the week ahead. I find that when planning to go fishing, observing forecasted weather is at least a bit more useful than listening to the seasonal “guesstimates” of people who just watched a groundhog crawl out of the dirt. Although the rodent called for six more weeks of winter, and as much as I’d like to fish with my new ice combo, next week’s weather looks like spring is around the corner.
After a few days of air temperatures in the high 30’s and 40’s, we’ll likely have some open, fishable water so I can resume the amazing fishing that was happening until everything began to freeze two weeks ago. With spring on the way I’m looking forward with promise- hoping any more cold snaps bring safe ice, so I can get in at least one catch on my ice rod. Otherwise, I’m going to organize my inline spinners and swimbaits in anticipation of the trout and bass fishing that will heat up in the weeks to come. Until then, best keep checking on local lakes and ponds in hopes of safe ice and some hungry fish beneath it.