Cape Cod Fishing Report
Over the past week, not much has changed on the local fishing front. We’ve had some exceptionally cold conditions, but yesterday’s gnarly wind brought surprisingly warm weather for December with air temps around 60 degrees. Freshwater anglers have been plying the ponds for bass, pickerel, and trout, and I’ve been doing a little white perch fishing to keep busy.
On the saltwater side of things, mackerel are really the only available target species right now, with the East End of the Canal being the most reliable spot. Although depending on where you’re fishing in the brackish creeks and ponds, white perch could fall under the umbrella of saltwater species. Over the weekend and earlier this week, I found them feeding in windy conditions and produced good numbers on some bucktail shad darts that I tied. The tide was falling, a couple corners of the shallow marsh were iced over, and there were fair amounts of micro-sized baitfish swimming around my ankles, which I couldn’t identify. However, a few of the chunkier perch were spitting up peanut bunker and shrimp, so they’re eating well.
Most of the fish were hitting the jig on the drop, but a few of them smoked it on a rapid retrieve which was surprising; often times, the jig will be scooped up as it’s laying still or slowly hopping over the sandy bottom.
White perch are great eating, and although I didn’t keep any, they’re a worthy target in the coming weeks for anyone planning a Feast of Seven Fishes for the holidays. Hair jigs, spoons, spinners, and small jerkbaits or curly-tail grubs are all mainstays in white perch tackle trays. Nightcrawlers will work well too. Otherwise, a bottom fishing trip out of Rhode Island should yield some cod and sea bass. In Massachusetts, our tautog season is still open, too. The issue will be finding a boat to get out on. I have one last tautog trip this weekend with Harvey Russell of My Brother Charters out of Falmouth Harbor, so, hopefully, we’ll have some input on the tautog fishing front next week before the season officially closes at the end of the month.
For those interested in bass fishing, check out smaller local ponds with some grass over the weekend. The forecast for Saturday and Sunday looks calm and sunny, so the best time to fish for bass and pickerel will be in the afternoon after some morning sunshine has warmed up the shallows. It’s suspending jerkbait season, so don’t go out without a few of those in your box. Likewise, spoons, and 2- to 3-inch paddletails fished on light jigheads or small underspin jigs are all good options for bass, especially in ponds that receive a herring run. And you can’t go wrong with a Ned Rig where there’s some sandy or gravel bottom. Here’s a recent article about scaling down your average bass lures during the winter months to keep a bend in the rod.
A little tip for chain pickerel enthusiasts: if you’re wading, spend a bit of time casting parallel to shore. After some sunshine, pickerel tend to linger around downed timber and fallen tree branches near the shoreline. Make sure to finish each retrieve rather than reeling in quickly toward the end of the retrieve—pickerel will often chase a lure to your feet.
Something to keep an eye on going into next week is the future of striped bass. The ASMFC is considering a few management options that aim to rebuild the fishery by 2029. No-harvest closures, no-target closures, and a new slot limit are all on the table. The period for submitting public comments to the ASMFC’s Atlantic Striped Bass Management Board has closed, and a decision that will affect striper fishing along the entire coast is coming early next week.
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me it’s been pretty quiet all week with most customers coming in for clamming gear and holiday gifts. He did say that a couple customers have been catching largemouth pretty reliably on shiners and, oddly enough, Senkos, while a few regulars said trout fishing is good in the kettle ponds when they’ve been able to get out.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said this week he’s been selling a lot of nightcrawlers to trout fishermen. One of his regular customers has been catching rainbows in the ponds around Falmouth. Largemouth bass, he added, have also been taking worms beneath bobbers—you can’t go wrong with that rig, as just about anything will grab a worm wriggling around on a hook. Shellfishing continues to be the main draw though; he’s selling lots of rakes, baskets, and waders. There are plenty of oysters for the taking in West Falmouth and Waquoit, along with quahogs.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis shared a similar report to last week. There have been tons of scallops in their neck of the woods, and like the other shops, that’s led to an uptick in wader sales. As far as freshwater fishing, their regular fly guy, Steve, has been going out almost daily and catching trout on Wooly Buggers in the nearby kettle ponds. The commercial bluefin tuna season, she added, is still going strong out near Provincetown. One of her customers hooked a giant this week but unfortunately, the leader chafed and he lost the fish.
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Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Next week’s weather forecast calls for rain, rain, and more rain. What ever happened to snow in December? Since the weekend seems to be our last look at sunshine for a while, here a couple safe bets for a bent rod.
Largemouth bass and pickerel. With low wind and plenty of sun in the forecast, the shallow coves of smaller, grassier ponds should hold the most reliable action. Shallow-diving suspending jerkbaits are deadly when fished slowly just above grass and weeds. However, some areas call for jerkbaits that dive a bit deeper, so don’t hesitate to throw suspending jerks like the Rapala Husky Jerk and Megabass Vision 110+1 Jr., which dive between 4 and 7 feet. Play around with the retrieve, beginning with long pauses between each twitch to gauge what the fish are most responsive to. A standard 3-inch paddletail on a 1/8- to 3/8-ounce jighead, retrieved slowly over weeds and grass with an occasional twitch, is another solid approach for bass and pickerel that are feeding a bit more recklessly and are willing to chase down a lure. I also like using a gold 1/4-ounce Kastmaster in the aforementioned areas. It’s a small presentation that casts well and sinks relatively slowly, and despite it’s size, it produces some quality fish.
Stocked trout are another good option this weekend. The kettle ponds across Cape Cod should all be fishing well for brown and rainbow trout for spinning and fly anglers, and if you’re lucky, there may be some leftover brook trout from the spring stocking.
It’s a long shot, but it’s worth asking around to see if a friend or neighbor still has their boat in the water to try for tautog. Offer up some gas money, or be the bearer of breakfast sandwiches; it’s been a while since conditions have lined up for tautog fishing, but they should be chewing well in deep water. Start the search over pieces of structure in 50- to 60-foot depths, and if the action is slow or non-existent, go deeper.
Rhode Island isn’t too far of a hike for those interested in cod and sea bass, and based on the most recent RI Fishing Report, it sounds like there are some really nice sea biscuits being caught out by Block Island.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading, stay warm, and catch ’em up.