Cape Cod Fishing Report
There’s still good fall fishing ahead, but it’s getting to be that time of year where fishing reports grow scant due to lower participation—partially due to colder weather, and partially due to our migratory species heading south.
Some good bass fishing continues in the Cape Cod Canal, although the typical offerings of XL pencils and Magic Swimmers have been kept in the plug bags for the most part. Peanut bunker and silversides are the predominant baits present in the Ditch, so anglers casting from the rip rap are resorting to heavier epoxy jigs and smaller pencils in the 2-ounce range, to mimic the smaller forage.
There are some bluefish in the 3- to 5-pound range being caught along the beaches of Vineyard Sound, but the bite has been spotty and hard to predict. The same can be said for stripers in some places on the south side as well. That being said, there are still quite a few fish lingering in the backwaters, and something tells me there’s quite a few stripers that have yet to reach Cape Cod on their southbound migration. We should see another solid push of some quality fish before the diaper stripers that signify the end of the fall run move in. It’s a safe bet that those fish will be moving around the October full moon, which is about a week from today.
The rivers and bays on the Cape side of Buzzards Bay also have roving wolf packs of schoolie to slot-size bass chasing around schools of bait, along with some lingering snapper bluefish. Plus, one of our readers—David Do, who frequently fishes Buzzards Bay from his kayak—mentioned that he has been catching weakfish on his own custom flutter jigs in 30-40ft of water over flat bottom recently. They won’t stick around long, but they’re some good fun when you can vertically jig them from the kayak.
There may be a few stacks of weakfish out there, but right now, the focus of most anglers in Buzzards Bay is tautog. More to come on that.
The outer beaches are fishing better recently with minnow plugs, and the beaches of Cape Cod Bay are still fishing well for both bass and bluefish, too. They’ve been feeding on small sand eels in the bay, although the bite has definitely slowed since the nor’easter that ignited such good fishing a couple weeks ago.
Albies remain off select beaches in Nantucket Sound and off the Elizabeths. But numbers are starting to fizzle out. Bonito are still popping up in the Cape Cod Canal, but they too have grown a bit scarce. Our neighboring anglers in Rhode Island and the Long Island Sound are already enjoying feeds from some 6- to 10-pound class bonito. It was a banner year for bones, and we can only hope they come back in the same numbers next year. Just as long as the albies join them.
Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay & Outer Cape
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay said the west end has been fishing well in the morning this week. There’s a good amount of fish coming up, but they’re super picky. Connor said most anglers are starting to throw 3- to 4-ounce epoxy jigs and small pencil poppers to get those bass to eat. The most prominent baitfish in the Canal lately have been squid, mackerel, lots of peanut bunker, and silversides. There’s also been a fair amount of activity in the east end. He said George from the shop got a nice fish off the pier while jigging FishLabs yesterday. Bonito are also in the Canal in good numbers but, like the albies, they’re starting to thin out day by day. You may luck into a few when casting epoxy jigs for bass or bluefish. When I asked about blackfish, he said the tautog fishing was very good for a few days but has fallen back into the typical weeding through shorts for your keeper fish. The fishing should continue to improve, though, and the silver lining is the limit changes to 5 fish on Tuesday the 15th.
From the Canal, East End Eddie Doherty reports: “Striped bass are loading up on baitfish for their journey south and last week’s new moon lit up the canal with slots plus over 40 inches riding the east tide in from Buzzards Bay. John “Captain” Morgan interrupted the breakfast of a 40-inch, 26 pounder that swallowed his green mack FishLab on the tail end of an east rising tide. “Bloodhound Steve” Colleran fought a 35-inch bass to fruition that had fallen for his wacky mack FishLab. Lou “Pipe Doc” Braga from Hudson caught 4 fish above slot including a 40 incher that ate an Al Gags white paddle tail jig. Ben “The Potato Manager” Sivonen fooled a 34-inch linesider with his green mack Savage just before low slack and John Doble had his white Magic Swimmer working with a healthy 34-inch striper to his credit. This correspondent landed a 36-inch warrior that fought way above weight after attacking a blue/silver Yo-Zuri Hydro Monster Shot on an east flood tide. Kathy Tang out fished the boys around her by tricking 34- & 41-inch stripers with her bucktail bouncing off the bottom. “Paulie the Painter” Gravina took high hook with a 47 inch striper that he brought to the rocks with his hand made 4 ounce pink plastic jig as well as some other fish including 31 & 38 inch bass.”
Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro reported: “With the onset of colder, more challenging marine conditions, our opportunities for getting offshore decrease. However, for those days that allow it, we have still been seeing bluefin tuna busting here and there, proving difficult to hook, as is often the case this time of year. Hoping to get in a few more bluefin battles before the season is up! Otherwise, the inshore fishing stays remarkably consistent—we enjoyed multiple days this week of light-tackle striped bass fishing on the vertical jig and bottom fishing for tautog. These two species have been offering excellent activity for anyone looking to get on the water during the next couple weeks! Upcoming openings can be viewed here.”
Captain Drew Downing of Down East Charters in Chatham reported: “Fun fishing is still happening along the outer beach although the big obvious bird piles and breaking fish that you think of when you think of the fall run have not been there yet. Bass, blues, bones, albies all present although lesser abundance the last few days. A deliberate approach and blind fishing likely areas have yielded a lot of success of late. Cutting a drift and keeping an eye for subtle Albies showing/slurping has also been a consistent way to get really good shots at finicky fish.”
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Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds/The Islands
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said he was out looking for albies yesterday and went out to Collier Ledge and the Horse Shoe. Once the sun rose, Evan said huge albies popped up. He chased those fish for almost an hour trying to get a bite before they disappeared. Upon heading back west, he found a few albies back toward Nonamessett; his friend was at Robinsons Hole and got a couple there, but the fish are noticeably starting to thin out, growing even more scarce than they already were. Striper fishing, on the other hand, remains good in the ponds. One of Evan’s shop regulars has been catching slot-size fish locally, and I can attest to some larger fish in the backwaters after I had my 7-foot rod snapped clean in two the other day while trying to muscle in a striper that didn’t want to cooperate. Evan said he’s still selling a few eels, but most people are already on to tog fishing. Buzzards Bay is fishing better than Vineyard Sound as far as he’s heard, with some bigger fish in general. That being said, the Sound side of the Elizabeth Islands is producing quality tautog also—people are catching their limits, but it requires picking through some short fish, per usual. On the tuna fishing front, he added that The Gully is fishing very well for small bluefin as of late, and there’s a decent chunk bite south of Rhode Island, which would explain all the butterfish he’s sold this week.
Christian at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said albie fishing still going pretty strong this week. They’re still blowing up off the beaches, but again, the fish have grown very picky, as have the bass and bluefish that have moved into the area. Most people have resorted to casting epoxy jigs and metals at the bass and bluefish with hopes of getting an albie, but they’re all feeding on 1- to 2-inch baitfish, which are likely bay anchovies. Christian said they’ve also got bass of all sizes in the bays which has been a nice change of pace. He added that shore fishermen on the Cape Cod Bay beaches have also been enjoying a mix of bass and blues, which have also shown interest in epoxy jigs and tins. Additionally, the tautog bite has been good in Nantucket Sound; Christian said they’re selling out of green crabs, so you know they’re chewing, and they won’t be all that deep just yet. Of course, there are also great trout fishing opportunities locally now that all the kettle ponds have been stocked, and even though they’re stocking only rainbows as they do every fall, the larger holdover trout from spring and/or last fall have been active as well.
From Martha’s Vineyard, Captain Kurt Freund of Fishsticks Charters reports: “Bonito fishing was pretty good up to and including the first week of the Derby, but it feels like the wheels came off in the big storm two weeks ago. I have fished closer to home on my recent half-day trips and struggled to find fish. I did take advantage of one recent full-day trip to run to Nantucket and landed one 14-pound albie. I am really looking forward to fishing for tautog and have already gathered a load of green crabs. I have a tog charter scheduled for next week and will probably do at least some scouting before then, despite the fact that the Derby runs until Oct 19. Certainly after the Derby, I expect to be focusing on tog almost exclusively.”
From Nantucket, Rick Ramos reports: “Surfcasting has been a grind as usual, but anglers who’ve timed the tides and wind have found success. Bonito continue to show in Nantucket waters, with the North Lot of Great Point producing solid catches this week. Sparsely scattered albies have been running the outside edges of Great Point, with notable activity last weekend, thanks to the north winds. Although large numbers of breaking fish remain elusive, blind casts are essential for those looking to score. Snapper blues are thick along the south shore, actively feeding on peanut bunker, and some decent bass are mixed in. Productive bass spots lately include Fisherman’s Beach, Point of Breakers, and Smith Point.
From the boat, Captain Corey Gammill of Bill Fisher Outfitters reported that fishing has been a bit slow overall. However, the west end has shown promise for bass, while bluefish are more abundant at Great Point. The Miacomet Rip has also produced some decent bass lately. The Nantucket Inshore Classic is in its final week, with anglers making a last push to secure top spots. Good luck to all participants!”
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
The next week looks like mostly sun with highs in the 50s and 60s, which would be fantastic weather for mid October if not for the blustery winds that are forecasted to accompany them. The worst part is, there’s no consistency. The wind will be blowing from every which way, shifting directions on a near daily basis. It will be a good time to target backwater stripers in the estuaries and marshes, where they’ll be picking off any remaining baitfish before the well runs dry and the migrators leave, while the residents begin to hunker down for winter. Soft plastics, glidebaits, small minnow plugs, and small topwaters will be your friends. We’re looking at gusts in the 30-knot-plus range, but if we get a steady northeast blow for a day or two, the Cape Cod Bay beaches could fish very well—especially as that full moon approaches.
Use the next few days to get in some striper fishing or try to get your final fix of hardtails. By this time next week, not much will have changed other than there will likely be fewer fish around, and fewer chances to chase them going forward. November will leave plenty of time for tautog fishing, and there are always a few big, late migrators that head down the coast later than we think. If you haven’t gotten your albie fix, (*cough, cough* like me) but you have the means to run toward Hyannis or the Elizabeths, do it. They’re on tiny bait from what it sound like, so bring every iteration of albie lures you can and hope for the best. Might I recommend the casting egg and fly?
This weekend, whether you’re striper fishing in the surf with heavy winds in your face, or fishing tucked into a bouldery cove for some tasty tog, enjoy it while you can! These overnight temperatures in the 40s are going to start impacting our fishing more and more each day. Thanks for reading and stay safe out there.
Herring fry and peanut bunker in the three bays, working the blow ups with the fly (bedazzle pattern)-epoxy jigs and albie snacks works well. Some mac’s still out by the Gurnet, but you have to work for them. Not over yet Bucko’s! Tight lines.