Cape Cod Fishing Report
Update: January 30, 2025
Cape Cod anglers wasted no time getting out on the ice over the past two weeks. The deep freeze of a week ago even caused some of our larger lakes to lock up, allowing ice enthusiasts to venture further in pursuit of largemouth and smallmouth bass, pickerel, trout, panfish, and…striped bass!
That’s right. On Saturday the 25th, Matt Strem caught and released a 25-pound striper through the ice on Martha’s Vineyard while fishing for largemouth, pickerel, and white perch. Talk about a surprise! You can read the details of Matt’s remarkable catch here.
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Most of us weren’t lucky enough to catch a 25-pound striper, but that’s okay. Cape Codders and Islanders were just happy to be back on the ice. Whether they were catching perch and sunfish or bass and trout, it was smiles all around.
Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro reported: “This past weekend was fantastic for ice fishing in Truro. We caught several nice-sized yellow perch and largemouth bass fishing shiners with tip-ups on South Truro’s frozen kettle ponds. We haven’t seen ice like this in years, so it was great fun for the family.”
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Before heading south on vacation for a week, I had the pleasure of ice fishing with Andy Nabreski, Jimmy Fee, and Anthony DeiCicchi at a local pond. While the fishing was slow, we did manage to pull a couple of solid largemouth bass through the ice on traps baited with live shiners from Red Top Sporting Goods.
It was refreshing to see so many locals out and about recreating on the ice, but unfortunately, that outing was cut slightly short by building winds and mild temperatures. Best to err on the side of caution when you can see open water in the middle of the lake. Read these 10 ice fishing safety tips before your next outing.
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me there’s a whole lot of people ice fishing this week, so they’re selling shiners like nobody’s business. Connor said customers are mostly catching yellow perch and largemouth bass, not so many trout. The fishing slowed down over the past couple days due to the mild weather we had yesterday, but sub-freezing temps are still building ice overnight, so we should be good for a few more days of ice before rain and mild temperatures make conditions a little iffy. They will have shiners over the weekend, but they’re out of nightcrawlers at the moment. They also have a small selection of ice fishing spoons and jigs, which are great.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said customers have been very excited to get out on the ice this week. They’re selling tons of shiners, and they recently received a small order of ice fishing gear including skimmers, tip-ups, tungsten jigs, etc. Amy added that ice anglers are enjoying a mixed bag of results; they’ve seen lots of pictures of some nice bass, chain pickerel, and a few trout. The local pike bite, she said, has been slow, which is unfortunate because it tends to be best through the ice. Sports Port has plenty of shiners and nightcrawlers in addition to their recent stock of ice fishing gear, so check out the selection if you’re fishing Mid Cape this weekend. Just play it safe out there, as some rain in the forecast may melt some of the ice off the larger kettle lakes.
Mike at Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth said he got out on the ice on Tuesday to put some time in for stripers through ice, but their group had no luck. Yesterday, he hit a local pond did very well. The bite started right as the sun came up and continued to heat up into the afternoon; it was nonstop action between 10 and 1 from largemouth bass and pickerel. They were fishing large shiners on tip-ups, and even small 1-pound bass were taking the large shiners, which kept them busy with flags popping up all day. Mike said there was still about 5 inches thick black ice around the pond, which is a great sign. They have live shiners in stock, so swing by for bait before your next outing on the ice.
There’s still quite a bit of safe ice around, but the forecast for the next week is calling for mild temperatures in the upper 30s. Air temps will dip below freezing almost every night, which means ice fishing could continue, but with enough sun and rain, we may be looking at another period of fishing limbo where skim ice leaves us longing for Mother Nature to make up her mind. Rain tends to accelerate the thawing of our lakes and ponds. Point being, two weeks from now, it’s entirely possible that there will be enough open water to do some wading and shore fishing for the same fish we’ve been chasing through the ice recently.
Should the ponds open up, stocked trout will be a viable target, as will chain pickerel and of course, largemouth bass. If and when the ponds thaw, a little bit of sunlight can warm up coves and small bays on larger lakes, and opportunistic largemouth bass will put on the feed bag. The bite windows may be brief, but casting lures like Ned rigs, suspending jerkbaits, finesse swimbaits, hair jigs, and small spoons from the bank will entice these lethargic Larrys to bite. Time your outings on days with consistent sunlight and, if you can, aim to fish during the late afternoon when the shallows and surface temps are at their warmest.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Should the fishing deities bless us with open water or more solid ice, just about any freshwater fish species will remain on the table (metaphorically speaking, unless you like the taste of stocked trout).
If safe ice remains, reach out to your local tackle shop in advance to inquire about the availability of live shiners and nightcrawlers. Likewise, if there’s open water, you can always cast shiners beneath a bobber from the bank for whatever bites. I enjoy doing that with glowing bobbers at night, mostly in hopes of catching a big, holdover brown trout from the spring stockings. It’s a lot of fun—all senses are heightened, and it’s a game of fish roulette. You never know what you might catch… although in my experience, it’s usually small, pesky yellow perch.
For the next two weeks, keep one eye on the forecast and one eye on the ponds—just don’t hurt yourself in the process. If you’d like to share a photo for the next Cape Cod Fishing Report, shoot me a message on Instagram @matthaeffner.
Be safe, use good judgement, and good luck out there. Catch ‘em up.
Update: January 16, 2025
Cape Codders, rejoice! We’ve got safe ice.
Up until this week, there was still a fair amount of open water on the larger kettle ponds around the Upper and Outer Cape. Many of the smaller, shallower ponds, especially those with wooded shorelines—where bass, pickerel, and perch are the main quarry—had skim ice and remained in a state of fishing limbo until these bone-chilling temps set in. Now, those ponds are generally fishable. However, hardwater anglers are still encouraged to use extreme caution when checking for safe ice. Review these 10 ice fishing safety tips before you go, and remember, 4 inches of ice is the minimum for “safe” ice.
Before the ice formed, a few members of the OTW team were wading the open shorelines of kettle ponds for stocked trout. My most recent freshwater outing was marred by ice on my fishing guides and piercing winds—one of those gusty days when the wind is so cold, it forces tears from your eyes (which promptly froze to my face). That said, I was able to stick a couple of rainbow trout near a herring run using blue and silver 1/4-ounce spoons, including the Little Cleo and Kastmaster.
Aside from ice fishing for panfish, bass, and pickerel on our small frozen ponds, opportunities to wet a line have grown slim. This time last year, we had open water around the Cape, but now, even our kettle ponds are starting to ice over. In our last Cape Cod Fishing Report, I also suggested anglers could seek out some moving water to target brook trout. As it turns out, that’s not the best idea. Peter Schilling, the Environmental Coordinator for the Cape Cod Chapter of Trout Unlimited, reached out to provide some insight as to why we should leave our native brookies (and their fragile habitats) be during the winter months. Peter said, “All of the streams are small, and fishing them without wading is tough. The wild brook trout, including the salters in the streams on the Cape, spawned in October. Right now, there are redds in the river with eggs, containing the best future for these wild fish. Nobody really should be on the streams from October through mid-March, when the fry hatch out. These fish face enough challenges now as it is.” One of those challenges, which is currently being addressed, is improving fish passage on our little blue lines so native fish like sea-run brook trout and river herring can spawn and thrive once again. In fact, if you’ve driven by the herring run on Route 130 along the south end of Mashpee/Wakeby Pond, you’ll notice a project underway to restore the river to its natural flow in order to improve habitat and help these fish spawn. There’s a good article about that project in the Boston Globe, which you can read here.
Schilling went on to say that while current regulations do not prohibit fishing for our native brook trout during the winter months, in the interest of protecting them (and the delicate streams in which they swim), it’s best to leave them be. It was a good reminder that just because we can fish for something, doesn’t always mean we should.
All that being said, if you’re looking for open water, it’s going to be tough to find. Even brackish creeks and salt ponds where white perch tend to stack up have been locked up. For now, and likely through the next week or two, the best bet for a bent rod is to assemble your ice gear and a crew of friends, and hit the hard water with some tip-ups and jigging rods for bass, pickerel, and panfish. Just over the bridge, where conditions are a bit colder than here on Cape, Hunter Thayer wasted no time getting out on the ice at his local honey hole.
Some anglers on the mainland side of the bridge have even had safe enough ice to target striped bass! Captain Cam Faria of Cambo Charters was lucky enough to catch during a recent outing, using tip-ups and crappie jigs to dupe some schoolies.
If ice fishing isn’t your cup of tea, that’s fine. The winter is a great time to rest and recoup, and with temps in the teens forecasted for next week, it’ll be a good time to reorganize and run inventory of your saltwater tackle, swap out hooks and split rings, or tie jigs and flies for the upcoming season. There are also a few boats running groundfish charters across the state (when conditions permit), including the American Classic in Lynn, and Cambo Charters. Captain Cam Faria put together a good catch of some quality haddock earlier this week, along with a few pollock and cusk, and he is looking to run an open boat this Friday (1/17) for haddock. Give him a call to get in on the action! Just dress extra warm.
For those looking to get on the ice, you can swing by one of our local tackle shops to pick up some shiners or nightcrawlers for your tip-ups.
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me that safe ice abounds just over the bridge. Ice fishermen in the Plymouth area are catching trout while down on Cape, most of the ice action is yellow perch and largemouth bass since the kettle lakes have not fully locked up. They just got 15 pounds of live shiners at the shop, and they have nightcrawlers and small selection of spoons and ice fishing jigs for those who prefer a more active approach on the hardwater. Swing by to stock up on bait while it’s fresh and lively.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said they’re selling a ton of live shiners and some nightcrawlers this week as anglers are itching to get out on the ice. According to their customers, the smaller ponds have been fishing well for yellow perch, and some places have ice as thick as 6 inches! The kettle lakes, however, are only frozen around the edges and open in the middle because the wind just hasn’t laid down enough for them to freeze completely. They’ve got a few ice fishing jigs in stock, but not many, so if you need to restock, head to the shop sooner than later.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said the shop will be closed for a few weeks, but there is some safe ice around town and people are finding some success with bass and pickerel.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
For the foreseeable future, it’s ice fishing season. But, with many tackle shops on winter hours, or temporarily closed, it can be surprisingly challenging to find and secure live bait for your traps. Plan your outings ahead of time and get your bait early. If you can, set up a tank or bucket with an aerator in an area where the water won’t freeze—like a heated garage or basement—to keep your shiners sprightly and in good condition between trips.
Keep an eye on this kettle ponds too. If the wind stops honking for a few days over the next week, especially as temps drop into the teens, ice fishing for trout might be feasible. Just remember to err on the side of caution and pack all the necessary safety gear if you plan to venture onto the ice, whether it be a 5-acre bass pond or a 130-acre kettle lake.
Stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy the ice fishing season while it lasts!
Update: January 9, 2025
Cold temperatures have settled in, and Cape Cod anglers are hopeful its been enough to allow for some ice fishing before things warm back up. As of yet, there’s been no reports of local ice fishing, but on Friday, a crew from the OTW office will be venturing out, spud bars in hand, in search of fishable ice.
Update January 2, 2025
2025 is here, and with it came some strong, gusty wind conditions. However, a little cold weather and wind doesn’t require waiting until March or April to bend a rod. There’s good fishing to be had locally well before the spring tautog and striper seasons.
So far, the winter has gone as expected—skim ice for a couple days, then it melts, and the cycle repeats. But that cycle might break this weekend or early next week, as overnight temperatures are forecasted to dip into the 20s and even the teens. Fingers crossed for those consistent sub-freezing temps to put some safe ice on our smaller ponds for the first time this winter.
Since our last bi-weekly winter fishing report, not much has changed. Anglers around Cape Cod are taking advantage of fishable open water while we’ve got it, whether it be in pursuit of stocked trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, or pickerel and panfish.
On the first day of 2025, OTW’s Jimmy Fee caught his first few fish of the year—including a brown and rainbow trout, and one yellow perch— while bouncing hair jigs and tubes around an Upper Cape kettle pond.
I skunked at 3 largemouth ponds, missing one good bite in several hours. Thankfully, I wound up with a handful of day-saving white perch that were hitting white curly-tail grubs rigged on a 1/8-ounce Ned head, and small, trout-colored Kastmasters.
Anglers looking to catch a few white perch should start in inland marshes and creeks where saltwater and freshwater meet. Areas with moving water will also be last to freeze, so in the event we end up with ice, these areas are usually still open to fishing. There’s also potential to run into holdover stripers in some of our salt ponds and rivers. Hair jigs, grubs, spoons, spinners, micro-plastics and small jerkbaits, like the ones made by Rapala or Baker Lures, all have their place in perch tackle boxes, while slightly larger spoons and paddletails on jigheads tend to be the most productive holdover striper lures. Whether you’re aiming for perch or stripers, cover as much water as possible and fish low and slow.
Trout fishing from shore (or wading) also requires a bit of moving around. I find that trout and white perch tend to bop around more often than bass or pickerel do, so I won’t spend as much time working one area or one piece of structure with different lures as I do when targeting largemouth. As long as we have open water, pick your favorite shoreline on the kettle ponds, and cover as much water as possible. Casting moving baits like spoons, spinners, and jigs will help you stay warm, while increasing the likelihood of encountering a fish (rather than waiting for a fish to find a stagnant bait like nightcrawlers, shiners, or PowerBait).
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me trout fishing has been good. Jared, a friend of the shop, was catching some nice ones in the Chatham and Outer Cape ponds this week, while shop employee Max enjoyed good fishing for browns and rainbows in the ponds around Plymouth. The Upper Cape kettle ponds like Peters, Mashpee-Wakeby, Johns, and Ashumet are all producing results as well.
Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth shared a similar report—a handful of guys have been out catching rainbows at Scargo Lake and the Outer Cape kettle ponds, but it’s been pretty quiet around the shop otherwise. Stop in for your freshwater fishing needs this winter!
If there’s open water on the bass ponds, stick to the winter staples: suspending jerkbaits, finesse swimbaits, small tins, Neds and other micro-plastics, or a float-and-fly rig.
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Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Cape Cod and the Islands!
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Unless we get safe ice, the best bet for a bent rod this week will be in areas with moving water. Some of the rivers have populations of native brook trout, and although they’re typically on the very small side, they can be caught with Trout Magnets and flies in longer, deeper pools.
If safe ice forms, look to the smaller bass ponds first, especially ones with forested shorelines and protected coves, as they’re more likely to freeze over due to the shade they receive from trees along the banks. Kettle ponds might not freeze entirely, so there is a possibility for some open water trout fishing to be had.
The other option would be a winter headboat trip up north or down in Rhode Island. Boats like the Frances Fleet in Point Judith will be sailing for cod, while the American Classic out of Lynn will be sailing for pollock and Acadian redfish. A few members of our team at OTW were lucky enough to get out with the American Classic last January, and while we missed the pollock bite by a day or two, we hauled up a boat-load of redfish to make the trip worth it.
Keep an eye on the forecast, and if ice begins to form on your local trout or bass honey hole, err on the side of caution and remember to always fish with a friend. Our local shops are on winter hours for the most part, which means they tend to be open on weekends, so pick up your nightcrawlers and shiners (and an aerator) in advance if you plan to do some ice fishing over the next week.
As a reminder, we’ll be running bi-weekly fishing reports through the winter months. If you’d like to share a fishing report and a photo or two, shoot me a message on Instagram (@matthaeffner) and I’ll do my best to include it in the next fishing report.
Thanks for reading. Stay warm and tight lines!