Cape Cod Fishing Report- June 20, 2024

Cape Cod Fishing Report

It feels like it’s been blowing for over a week now. The wind has been gusting up to almost 30 knots for the better half of this week, which has made fishing challenging in some areas of Cape Cod. However, sustained southwest winds combined with full moon tide swings should bring a fresh wave of migratory stripers, and hopefully, more bluefish, right into Buzzards Bay, the Elizabeth Islands, and the south side of Cape Cod.

Surf fishing has been a bit slower in Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds this week, particularly for striped bass. But some surfcasters have been lucky enough to run into rogue schools of pogies with bluefish from 6- to 10-pounds on them. I am, unfortunately, not one of those anglers. My surf fishing has been reserved to the night shift this week after long days of warm, sunny weather. Despite focusing efforts around the cooler hours of the day, the bass have not been cooperative. Generally speaking, my fishing logs don’t reflect the most productive outings around the full moon. With minimal cloud cover as of late, that moon is shining super bright. There’s no need for a headlamp or red light in these conditions, even when it comes to swapping out lures. At 1 AM last night, I could see all the contents of my plug bag almost as clear as day. My guess is that the fish could see my lures just as well. But we can’t let fishing struggles diminish our efforts; I’m hopeful for better surf fishing on the back side of this moon, because this time last year, the bass bite improved everywhere—from the Cape Cod Canal to the outer Cape beaches.

One of the best things going right now is fluke fishing. That’s not to say stripers and blues aren’t bringing action to the boat crowd, it’s just that fluke have really filled in over the past week, which I personally attribute to the warm weather, rapidly rising water temperatures, and southwest winds blowing in all sorts of bait from the ocean. The Helen H has seen double-digit fluke hit the deck during their first week on the Nantucket Shoals, and there have even been some 10- and 12-pound fluke caught closer to home in Nantucket Sound, plus a few 4- and 5-pound flatties in Vineyard Sound. Meanwhile, in Buzzards Bay, anglers are picking away at short and keeper fluke a stone’s throw from the dock at times. If you’re not fishing the rips or the shoals on the south side of Cape, the next best places to try are boating channels near inlets and marinas. Small baitfish like silversides are pushed in and out of bays and harbors with the tides, and fluke lie in wait to ambush them from below around choke points, ledges, and areas of changing bottom composition: for example, where sand bottom meets gravel and pebble bottom.

While the surf has been hit or miss for stripers this week, the Canal is holding fish that are picking off pogies as they pass through the west end and press east toward Cape Cod Bay. The bass bite has been slower in the western portion of CCB despite the presence of those bunker pods, while the outer Cape around Provincetown continues to see good fishing for bass on top. Assuming those pogies near the Canal hug the south shore as they head north toward Boston, I think they should collide with hungry bass after these full moon tides sandwich them between the fish stationed around the city, and the bass that will likely push through the Canal over the next several days.

From the Cape Cod Canal, East End Eddie Doherty reports: “A small school of bluefish have been in and out of the west end wreaking havoc, biting off soft plastic paddletails just below the hook. Bass have been hard to find except for a select few Canal Rats! Legendary surfcaster Bob “Bull” MacKinnon, the pride of Plymouth, got into a 3-day surface bite toward the west end where he caught 34 striped bass on his 4-ounce green mack Wally’s pencil, with the biggest weighing in at 22 pounds. Vito Marsico and his father Vinnie had a productive day of fishing after driving from Long Island. They both did well at first light as Vinnie cast his bone-colored Yo-Zuri twitch bait to fool a 19-pound healthy bass while Vito took top hook with a 28 pounder that fell for the splashes of a Happy as a Clam Slippery Squid on the west tide. Just a reminder for Massachusetts tog hunters, the bag limit dropped down to 1 fish for tautog effective June 1.”

Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay said the bay has been fishing okay for bass recently, but the warmer weather hasn’t helped anything. He anticipates better striper fishing in the days following the full moon, which will hopefully push some fresh fish into the area. The sea bass bite, he said, has seen a slight resurgence in 40 to 50 feet of water after the action dropped off a bit. The best thing going right now is definitely the fluke fishing, which has been good in the channels outside of most marinas and harbors, as well as in the old Canal channel. Connor’s father went out in the boat yesterday with some Gulp and Tsunami ball jigs and caught plenty of shorts and a couple keepers for the dinner table.

Christian at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said the striper fishing out east has been wild this week with big fish chasing squid in the rips. He mentioned there are large schools of pogies within a few hundred yards to a couple miles off of the local beaches, with big bluefish hot on their tails. Christian also said there are lots of surprisingly big fluke being caught in Nantucket Sound this week, with two notable catches in the 10- to 12-pound range from a private charter. From the surf, the bass fishing has been quiet, but there have been 5- to 10-pound blues off some of the beaches which is keeping things interesting for shore anglers. Sea bass fishing remains steady for anglers jigging in the rips of Nantucket Sound, and although there are still lots of shorts to weed through, the action is consistent. Further east toward Chatham, there was a topwater blitz of big sea bass feeding on just about anything you could put in front of them. We agreed that it’s interesting to see them on top from time to time, and he noted that there’s so much competition from fluke and scup lower in the water column, it could be driving them to the surface to feed in some cases.

Evan Eastman at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth told me the rips are still fishing well despite the wind over the past few days, with plenty of mid-size squid out there. He said some guys are jigging wire with parachute jigs, but most people are getting fish on the surface on amber-colored poppers and spooks; white and other popular colors are definitely being outfished by more natural squid colors. He noted that it’s nice to still have so much bait and bass in the rips, because this time last year, the rips seemed to be running almost bone dry for stripers. Evan also mentioned that his employee who lives in Woods Hole was snagging and live-lining pogies locally at night this week and caught some big bass doing so. He said eel sales have gone up considerably, adding that his buddy caught a big one this week while fishing live eels from the boat. There are more fish moving in around the Elizabeth Islands too. On the bottom fishing front, the fluke bite has really turned on. Keeper fluke are being caught on the shoals of Vineyard Sound, and while they’re no Nantucket Shoal-grade monsters, he’s seen a couple 4 or 5 pounders. And sea bass fishing is hit or miss in Buzzards; they’re still holding deeper for the most part. There’s also been a noticeable uptick in tuna jig sales this week; one of Evan’s customers jigged up three 50- to 65-inch bluefin south of the Vineyard just before the blow started.

Captain Ross of Cape Cod Charter Guys in Bourne said it’s been rough out there this week, but despite the choppy conditions, they’ve been finding breaking fish due to the sustained winds pushing so much bait into the Bay and around the Elizabeths. They’re finding slot-size fish and bigger recently, but they’ve had to switch up the game plan to find those keepers. The slot-size bass are feeding mostly on top, with a handful of over-slots in the mix, and they’re finding the slot fish to the south while the over-sized bass up are layer up in the Bay. During a recent trip, they came upon tons of pogies that had a bunch of bluefish beneath them, but there didn’t seem to be many bass with them, although they did lose one jumbo that pulled a ton of drag and broke them off after a powerful run. The skipper mentioned that the Cape Cod Bay side has a bunch of pogies too, but they weren’t finding many bass with them, so they’ll continue to focus their efforts on the west and south sides of Cape until the full moon passes. They’re hopeful that the combination of southwest winds and full moon tides will bring in a fresh wave of big fish for a shot at redemption after losing a potential fish of a lifetime. Give them a call to inquire about availability!

Alex MacMillian of FishLinked Charters in Wareham reported: “The water temperatures in Buzzards Bay are rising quickly, although this has yet to push the menhaden out of the bay. Schools of menhaden have been easy to spot and are just about everywhere, and grabbing a few and putting them on the line for stripers has been the key to success. We have also found some good size bluefish in the mix, but they seem to be more fixated on the eels in the area. If you are targeting blues, we have had success trolling Hogy pro tail olive eels, but make sure to pack a few as these will shear off with a ferocious blue. If you have trouble finding them, we have plenty in stock at, FishLinked Angler Center. Bottom fishing has been plentiful and we are finding more fluke day by day. The black sea bass are running thick along with scup. A high-low rig always seems to do the trick in Buzzards Bay. You can also count on seeing some dogfish poking around.”

Captain Drew Downing of Downeast Charters in Chatham reported: “The rips continue to produce on both tides. Water temperatures are warming rapidly to the west and influencing flood tides and bait presence. There are lots of pogies staging in the Sound, but there’s a mix of squid, sand eels, rain bait and bunker washing through at any given time. Unfortunately, we haven’t been tuna fishing this week due to the wind.”

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Cape Cod and the Islands!

Captain Cam Faria of Cambo Charters said he’s been running bass charters this week, and they’ve been catching over-slot fish on X-Raps, plus, they’ve been fishing around schools of pogies in Cape Cod Bay. He said the bass aren’t on the bunker schools thick just yet, but if the bunker stick around through the full moon, that should change. For now, his charters are picking away at the bass that are following the pogy schools. Cam has a bottom fishing charter on Saturday and a tuna charter tomorrow; he is planning to hit Cape Cod Bay to duck out of the southwest wind, but hasn’t heard much of anything happening out there due to the recent conditions.

The Helen H out of Hyannis reports: “It’s been a great week of fishing in Cape Cod Bay for winter flounder on the F/V Starfish. The flounder fishing has been steady with a few tautog coming over the rails as well. Flounder has been the main species caught on these trips with the largest one weighing at 4.12 pounds! 6 Hour trips are available Wednesday to Sunday at 6 AM.  

On the F/V Helen H, it’s been a good start to the offshore fluke fishing season. Fluke have been coming over the rails in a range of sizes, with some nice double-digit fish in the mix. The largest one for the season so far is 11.3 pounds! Only 1 week into the fluke season and it has been a steady start. There is still some availability on the 1-day and 2-day offshore fluke trips!

Scup and black sea bass fishing has been good for anglers aboard the F/V Nantucket Sound and F/V Capt. John and Son II, even as the spring run comes to an end. Jumbo scup are still around, though we’re starting to see more small stuff in the mix. Those that put in the work are going home limited out. Though the start of the season was slow for sea bass, we are starting to see them in better numbers when weather permits and allows us to drift. There are a lot of undersize (15- to 16-inch) fish in the mix, but we are seeing more jumbos on recent trips. Six-hour trips will continue until the end of June, and we will start the 4-hour trips in the beginning of July when the limit drops to 30 fish for scup. Book your trip on the website!”

Captain Kurt Freund of Fishsticks Charters on Martha’s Vineyard reported: “It has been an outstanding week of fishing, despite the recent windy weather. Striped bass are chasing squid in the rips and they are striking soft plastics and topwater plugs aggressively. Fishing has been best during times of peak current, when the rip is fully developed. At these times, casting Albie Snax, Slug-gos, Hogys, Jumpin’ Minnows, or squid flies has been very productive. During times of slower current or even slack water, we’ve done well trolling Hydro Squirt plugs.”

Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro reported: “The relentless southwest winds this week may have kept us off the bluefin tuna grounds, but we found plenty of tight lines fishing for striped bass! Multiple areas on the outer Cape are producing rock-solid topwater strikes, particularly with the Hogy Charter Dog Walker in amber. That color was hot! Sadly, first mate Brady Rice got his first hook in the hand, but he is mending well; a reminder to all to take care when unhooking those plugs with trebles flying around. We’re rolling through mid-June and super grateful for the epic fishing we have already experienced. View our online calendar for upcoming openings – welcome summer!”

From Nantucket, Rick Ramos reported: “This past week I had the opportunity to fish both surf and boat.  Last Saturday, we had our annual Island X Lures outing on Albacore Charters with Captain Bob DeCosta and First Mate Curren Wiggin.  We had an impressive outing working the edges of the Monomoy Rips with Amber 180 Hellfires where six of us kept Curren busy on the deck with 181 bass caught and released on the day.  I was fortunate enough to connect with the largest bass of the trip, a 41-inch lice filled beauty that gave me a tremendous battle on light tackle.  The crew also landed several fish in the 35-inch class.

Also from the boat, Captain Corey Gammill from of Bill Fisher Outfitters reported that it has slowed down a little bit on the west end of the island with warmer waters and less bait settling in, but he is still getting lots of bass.  Corey has reported that the bluefish have yet to show a strong presence here on the island, which is surprising. Old Man Shoal continues to fish well, and Great Point offers easy access to large schools of bass holding on the rip.

From the surf, solid reports continue to come in on the south shore where I’ve also had the most productivity.  There are plenty of 30- to 35-inch bass around.  Sunday morning, I connected with a 39-inch bass on a Super Strike blurple needlefish on a super slow retrieve.  The fish of the week goes to Tadas Baliukonis, who topped his PB with an impressive 45-inch bass.  Congrats Tadas!  Tammy King also reported that bonito are still making an appearance on the north shore and around the jetties.”

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Cape Cod and the Islands!

Cape Cod Fishing Forecast

There may be some showers this weekend, but not enough rain to keep anglers indoors. If there’s one factor that will put a damper on the fishing, it’s the wind. Use good judgment if you plan to run offshore, or if you’re running a small craft close to home.

The best bets this weekend will be fishing for stripers or fluke. Sea bass fishing is hit or miss for keepers in most areas, and unless you get on a pile of good ones in 50 to 70 feet of water, you’ll probably be dealing with a bycatch of scup, short sea bass, sea robins, and if you’re lucky, fluke. Fluke fishing should remain steady in Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds since there are still so many squid in the rips, and some of those popular fluke spots may even hold the keeper sea bass you’re looking for. A day of bottom fishing that yields even a handful of keeper fluke and sea bass between a few anglers is a nice haul. Bucktails and Gulp are standard, and bait will work too, although that’s when pesky little scup tend to find the hooks. Consider dropping down some slow-pitch jigs or epoxy-style jigs if the fish are feeding on spearing or sand eels; it will save you time swapping out bait or Gulp, and most of those jigs come armed with single hooks which make for easy handling and quick releases.

As more bunker are pushed into Buzzards Bay and the south side of Cape with these full moon tides, bass fishing should improve even more over the next week. We should start to see more bass popping up along the ocean beaches, and more bluefish on the south side as well as around the Vineyard and ACK. Until then, we’ve still got plenty of bass on squid in the rips. And of course, keep your eyes and ears on the Cape Cod Canal. Big bass are bound to move through at some point—especially with the recent influx of bunker in both Buzzards Bay and Cape Cod Bay—and anglers who put in their time at the Big Ditch will be rewarded. Personally, I’ll be plugging away on the beaches in search of the 30-pound bass that has eluded me all season thus far, but the Canal is a fine place to resort to if need be. Around this time last year, bunker were pressing east through the ditch while mackerel were forced into the west end, and it lead to a stellar bite that lasted about a week. We’ll see if there’s a repeat this year.

Wherever fishing finds you this week, whether it be the seat of a kayak on a kettle pond, or east of Chatham in search of bluefin, I hope you all catch what you’re looking for and have fun while doing it. With fluke in thick, sea bass still chewing, the bluefin bite improving each week, and big bass and bluefish continuing their migration up the coast, this is one of the best times of the year to be on the water. Stay safe, be respectful, and fish hard. Thanks for reading.