Cape Cod Fishing Report
Where did November go? It feels like yesterday we were stocking up on chocolate and candy for Halloween, and striped bass and bonito were running in numbers. That said, here’s something to be thankful for this week: stripers are sticking around.
Besides the calendar date (and more precipitation than we’ve seen this fall), not much has changed since last week. As mentioned in previous reports this month, the remaining bass have been slowly trickling south and west around Monomoy. Finding them from shore requires covering some ground for maybe a fish or two, but the bait is there, so the prospect of a Thanksgiving Day striper in the surf is within the realm of possibility.
Some of those bass are hanging close to shore as they cruise west through Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds, although they are not always within casting range. However, with water temperatures in the low 50s, and river herring still dropping out of the creeks, it’s worth taking a leisurely drive along the south side beaches to survey the scene and make a few casts. A falling tide will push those young-of-year herring into open water where they’ll take temporary refuge in the shallows along the beaches and jetties. After a promising night of backwater activity last week, which yielded me no fish, I headed out at sunrise earlier this week to see what was happening around the turn of the tide in Vineyard Sound. The birds were up and diving on bait, but still, I came up empty handed. There have been small, silver baitfish, which are likely juvenile river herring, tight to the jetty rocks each time I’ve gone out—promising signs that maybe, just maybe, there’s an early December schoolie or two in the cards. Holdover striper season is around the corner, but we’re not quite there yet.
Most of the boats at local marinas and harbors have been pulled, but there are a few anglers holding on to what’s left of the fall run. Tautog are still the main attraction, and as I learned last week, don’t go togging without a couple of epoxy jigs or small soft plastics in the tackle tray. You never know what you may run into. In this case, it was a rogue pack of albies blitzing in our wake as we headed in for the morning.
The tog bite is still good, although keeper-size fish have been mostly congregating around deeper structure in 50 feet of water or more. Recently, snotty weather has kept the remaining boats tucked into their slips. But, if dry turkey isn’t your cup of tea, there looks to be a brief weather window on Thursday morning for anglers to load up on tautog and provide a few fresh fillets for Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, the rest of the holiday looks like wind and rain, and more wind over the weekend.
If you’re looking to bend a rod this holiday weekend and tautog fishing is not feasible, all hope is not lost. Pivot to freshwater fishing. Largemouth bass and pickerel have been chewing well, smallies are active enough that they can be caught from shore on suspending jerkbaits and ned rigs, and of course, stocked trout can be caught somewhat reliably on bait, lures, or flies in the kettle ponds. Trout fishing is a great way to get outside and keep the kids out of the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning. Rig a few freshwater wands on Wednesday night, secure bait in advance (if that’s your method of choice), and hit the ponds before the crummy weather on Thursday.
Last, but certainly not least, white perch fishing is also a good option this weekend. I find that like stripers, they seem to feed more aggressively in the wind and rain. OTW’s Jimmy Fee and his daughter caught a whole bunch of chunky ones earlier this week on small spoons despite recent foul weather. The white perch in our kettle ponds will be a little tougher to find than the larger specimens that populate our brackish creeks and ponds, but regardless of where they come from, they present another option for tasty table fare. Plus, they’re a ton of fun to catch on ultralight tackle. I like to use a Pfleuger President spinning reel spooled with 2-pound-test Berkley Trilene monofilament and cast 1/8-ounce spoons, marabou jigs, and my hand-tied bucktail shad darts. White, pink, and neon green seem to be the most productive colors.
With a bag limit of 25 fish (which is totally unnecessary) and the minimum length for a keeper at 8 inches, you can load up a stringer with a handful of quality perch. Blacken or fry the fillets, toss them on Kings Hawaiian slider buns with some greens and a dash of chipotle aioli, and watch your catch become the fan favorite Thanksgiving appetizer of 2024.
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me the main attraction this week is still the east end of the Canal, where loads of mackerel are being caught off the bulkhead and the fishing pier on sabiki rigs. Reports have been quiet on the freshwater side of things. Check out their online-only sale from 11/29 to 12/2 for great deals on all your favorite lures and tackle.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said much like last week, shellfishing is the main draw right now. There hasn’t been much interest in freshwater fishing, though that will likely change as the winter sets in and people start to get the itch to wet a line. He has freshwater lures and tackle in stock in addition to the shellfish gear, so swing by the shop if you’re looking to hit the ponds for bass and trout this weekend.
Captain Cam Faria of Cambo Charters had nothing new to report this week, but he’s planning to go commercial tuna fishing on Sunday and whenever the weather allows him to next week. He is still available for tautog charters as well, so give him a call if you’re looking to get out in southern Massachusetts!
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Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
It’s getting colder, and fishing is getting tougher across the board. Strong winds haven’t been any help, but when conditions allow, there are tautog to be caught and occasional schools of stripers that can be intercepted as they continue to head south. With a not-so-great forecast ahead, the best bet for some action this weekend is to target stocked trout, largemouth bass, white and yellow perch, and pickerel, or head to the canal to load up on some mackerel.
This year, I’m a little extra thankful for those robust populations of bass and pickerel that live in our freshwater ponds. From now until April, they’ll keep our rods bent and minds preoccupied while we wait for striped bass, bluefish and more, to return to the Cape in the spring.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. I hope you and your loved ones have a safe and healthy holiday.