Above: The vertical jig bite for stripers improved dramatically off the Outer Cape this week according to the report from Reel Deal Fishing Charters.
Hearing several of my co-workers lament catching “only bonito” on their recent albie missions tells me that it’s been such a good bonito run that these striped, green speedsters have nearly become a nuisance for some anglers. Champagne problems, indeed. The albies around are big ones, but there’s reason to believe some bigger numbers are on the way. Some large stripers are back on the Cape after a fair-to-middling summer for bass over 20 pounds, and fluke fishing is looking good as the season enters its final month.
Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal
It was all-you-can-catch bonito in Buzzards Bay on Sunday reported Connor from Red Top Sporting Goods. The fish were blitzing in big numbers, attacking a wide variety of lures with little regard for size, color, or leader size. By Wednesday, the bite had slowed, and Connor said a trip that took him from Monument Beach to Vineyard Haven only turned up small bluefish. There were some reports this week of false albacore moving up through the Elizabeth Islands.
The snapper blues have been in good abundance lately, with big schools blitzing under birds in open water, and smaller packs harrying the peanut bunker and spearing in the harbors. Kids, looking to make the most of the last week before school starts have been catching snappers from marina docks. Ultralight gear, with small spoons or freshly-netted spearing suspended under a small bobber will get the bites. The fish can be surprisingly picky about what they’ll strike when baitfish are abundant. I had only frozen squid to offer the snappers on a recent mission to the harbor, and while the small bluefish would give chase, they ultimately refused my offering. Fortunately, the primary objective of the trip, catching a few blowfish to eat, was met, as a trio of “sugartoads” found my squid baits perfectly appetizing.
It’s been a lackluster summer at the Canal, with short bursts of action followed by longer stretches of inactivity. This is the time of year that stripers generally begin heading south, in earnest. It’s the “late-summer walk” that precedes the fall run. Red Top’s Connor said Tuesday saw a good flurry of activity for West End casters, with boat fishermen outside the Canal also getting in on the action. The fish ranged from 26 to 30 inches, mostly, with a few “over-slot” fish sprinkled in.
The fluke fishing in Buzzards Bay has been excellent. Connor reports catching several keeper-sized fish while dropping albie casting jigs, including a 25-incher. Dedicated fluke efforts have yielded fish to nearly 12 pounds in recent weeks. A wise angler might take some of those abundant 6- to 8-inch snapper blues (remember, only three per person) and drift them along the bottom on a three way rig for a shot at a doormat.
From the Canal, East End Eddie Doherty reported: “Rain bait continue to sprinkle the surface, but the Canal has slowed down considerably, producing some 26-32 inch bass with a few exceptions. Glenn “Lucky Cigar” Lindsey caught slots and better up to 37 inches mostly with a Gibbs green mack pencil on the east tide while his lucky cigar smoke kept the bugs at bay. “Slap Shot Scottie” Ewell had a good day with fish up to 35 inches on his large white Magic Swimmer and Kevin “R & D” Blaise fooled a couple of slots with a Gibbs rainbow pencil as the flood tide continued east. “Paulie the Painter” Gravina was also fishing the east tide when he landed a slot with one of his custom made 4 ounce bucktails. The talented lure maker was the only one to score in his area. Rob “Fishsticks” Pesa, a great fisherman and one of the best guys on the Canal, reeled in 4 fish just under slot with a bunker colored Daiwa SP Minnow.”
Cape Cod Bay and the Outer Cape
Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters was happy to report improved action on vertical jigging stripers off the Outer Cape. “This past week offered outstanding light tackle activity jigging for striped bass with the Daddy Mac pink and green jigs returning as the go-to lure of the day. Triples, quads, at times non-stop action as the changing angle of the sun and waning summer weeks bring changes to the fishing techniques as well.”
Tuna fishing off the Outer Cape remains scattered, as Elena said, “The bluefin tuna fishing still keeps us moving around as one day there will be remarkable presence of tuna, whales, dolphins and that same spot the next day is completely void of life.” She remains optimistic that as we get into September, traditionally one of the best months for Cape Cod tun, the fish will settle into a more reliable pattern.
The Reel Deal team has some openings in September, a beautiful month of fishing on the Cape, that you can find on their calendar.
Ed at Sports Port reported great fishing early in the week in Cape Cod Bay for big stripers on topwaters and jigs, trolling and live bait. These are likely southbound fish that summered off the South Shore or Boston, perhaps leading the charge for the fall migration.
South Side and the Islands
Fishing for bigger blues has failed to really take hold off the Cape this summer, with the exception of Nantucket, where surf and boat anglers have been routinely catching 30-inch blues. However, the report from Ed at Sports Port suggested that there’s finally some more consistent bluefishing happening off the South Side of the Cape, with 4- to 6-pounders feeding heavily around Osterville and Cotuit. Of course, the arrival of albies and bonito has sent the blues a few rungs down the ladder of desierable species, yet their presence can be a day-saver when the albies prove elusive or finicky.
If we’re using Waquoit as the dividing line, it seems like west of there, you’ll find heavy concentrations of bonito and sparse albies. East of there, you’ll find some more albies, but also good numbers of bonito. Spanish mackerel arrived in good numbers over the past week, and many anglers reported catching them and seeing their distinctive leaps from the water as they fed on peanut bunker.
Spanish eat the same epoxy-style jigs as albies and bonito, and while they don’t fight as hard as either species, they are a beautiful and delicious bycatch.
Rick Ramos checked in from Nantucket with the following report:
“As we head into the final weekend of the August Blues Nantucket tournament, we have seen a surge in junior angler entries for the tightly contested Triple Strike race. Junior anglers Eli Holland, Hayden Roberts and Camden Carsen are currently in the top three spots. With reports of blues showing in better numbers on the south shore and Great Point, it will be a fun finish to this contest. Meanwhile, the bonito invasion of our shorelines continues with reports of bones caught at Fisherman’s, 40th Pole, Dionis, and Great Point. We are also starting to see albies fill in with better numbers. Tammy King has reported recent albie catches at Great Point. Greg Chotkowski recently picked up a few bass at Nobadeer where the recent storms have created good structure for holding bass. Unfortunately, that same storm has wiped out vehicle access to Smith Point so you will need to hike to get to the west end.
The Nantucket Inshore Classic registration is now open with competition running September 8th – October 12th, 2024. This is Nantucket’s premiere tournament offering boat, beach and fly divisions for adult and junior anglers targeting striped bass, bluefish, false albacore, and bonito. Participation is open to all local and visiting anglers to help raise funds for the Nantucket Angler’s Club Scholarship Fund. Sign up today for that opportunity to achieve the Northeast angler’s ultimate feat – The Nantucket Grand Slam!”
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Reports of arriving stripers and albies have me excited for the fishing opportunities over Labor Day weekend. The bonito have been abundant enough for shore and kayak anglers to get their cracks at them from south-facing beaches, with the potential for a bonus Spanish mackerel. Big bass in Cape Cod Bay, with commercial season closed as of three weeks ago, makes that an appealing option for boat fishermen. Sounds like you can catch the bass however you’d like, and if you like to catch them vertical jigging with light tackle, you’d be wise to focus your efforts toward the tip of the Cape. Look for the local tuna fishing to improve as August gives way to September, but even now, more reports of 60-inch, recreational-sized fish have us excited for the bluefin fishing this fall.