Cape Cod Fishing Report
It’s been HOT out there. Almost too hot. Wet wading season is upon us folks. Unless you’re fishing the outer beaches, where there’s bigger surf and cooler water, do yourself a favor and leave the waders at home.
Weather aside, fishing has been good across the board this week. Stripers, bluefish, sea bass, fluke, scup, and the occasional bonito are keeping summer vacationers and locals entertained from the upper Cape out to P-Town.
Down on the south side, there are still bass in the mid- to upper-30-inch range in the rips of Vineyard Sound, although they have certainly thinned out a bit. Schoolie to slot-size bass are more common than over-slots after the recent heatwave, and they’ve been a bit picky according to local tackle shop owner Evan Eastman. The Elizabeths have bass of a similar class, right around the mid- to upper-20-inch range. It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw one more solid wave of migratory bass move in from the ocean to Buzzards with this stretch of cooler weather and residual new moon tides.
Bluefish and bonito are running the south side beaches; the bonito are scattered, but cocktail blues are plentiful and hitting metals. Earlier this week, I hooked what I’m fairly certain was an average-size bonito while skipping an epoxy jig across the surface of a rip, and unfortunately, I dropped the fish. Last week, Captain Drew Downing mentioned he was seeing bones on the surface out in Chatham, so it would appear they are widespread even though the action remains spotty. Considering there’s a good run of bonito in Rhode Island right now, they should continue to fill in over the coming weeks as numbers of young-of-the-year baitfish rise. That said, you can go to just about any south-facing beach from Falmouth to Chatham this week and potentially hook a bonito from shore. It’d also be worth scoping out the harbor mouths of lower Buzzards Bay for bonito on both the Cape and mainland sides.
On the outer Cape, bass are sliding up the backside beaches in waves, although it’s been difficult to pattern their movements and intercept them. Between the lulls in action, surfcasters have been catching fish ranging from 20 to 40 inches on darters, minnow plugs, and soft plastics among other artificials. We have a couple days of cool, overcast weather going into the weekend, and I’d like to think the surf bite out east will improve as a result.
Fluke fishing has been pretty fantastic both from shore and by boat. There are a whole lot of short fish around in the harbors and bays, as well as some nice keepers. It takes time to pick through the shorts, but fish exceeding 20 inches are available in shallow water. Lightweight bucktails and jigs tipped with Gulp are a shallow-water fluke angler’s best friend. And as a friendly reminder: the MA summer flounder regulations state that shore-caught fluke must measure 16.5 inches or longer. For boat anglers, the minimum size is 17.5 inches. If you see someone keeping short fish, politely educate them and, assuming the catch is not bled, ask them to release the fish before calling for enforcement.
Here’s what some of our local tackle shops and charters had to report heading into the weekend:
Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me there have been some smaller bass in the Canal the past couple mornings, but the action has not been great. That said, he mentioned that the Canal has a lot of potential right now; there are mackerel in the west end, we’re coming off the new moon, there was a breaking tide this morning, and east tides every morning in the days ahead. With bass still holding in upper Buzzards Bay, they’re just waiting for the right time to push through. Water temps in Buzzards are hovering around 70 to 72 degrees, so the bass are not going stick around much longer. On the bottom fishing front, the sea bass bite has been rough lately; there are a whole lot of short fish in shallow, and it appears the bigger fish are heading for deeper structure. Down on the south side of the Upper Cape, Connor and a couple guys from the shop caught some small bluefish last night. As a result of all these bluefish hanging around in Vineyard and Nantucket sounds, shark fishing has been very good. Last night, he said, their group had 5 brown (sandbar) sharks before midnight, two of which ate eels and three that took chunked bonito. The other shark anglers on the beach were catching on chunked bluefish.
From the Cape Cod Canal, East End Eddie Doherty reports: “There was a weeklong lull of striped bass being caught in Buzzards Bay, but boat guys are back to catching above slots in good numbers so hopefully, the fish find out about the bait and ride an east tide into the Canal! The Canal is chock full of seaweed which must be removed from hooks after every cast. I haven’t seen this much weed since the Grateful Dead were in town! Not many rods were bent, but last weekend began with Paul “Sparky” Yuskaitis chunking mackerel on an early slack tide that produced a healthy 32-inch striper. The Falmouth Fishermen’s Association just held their Black Sea Bass Tournament, many of whom are Canal Rats including this year’s winner of the coveted FFA Cup, “Mashpee Mike” LaRaia whose 8 fish totaled well over 140 inches. Hopefully, the intense heat doesn’t diminish the positive effects of the new moon this week.”
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth reported that Monday morning was unbelievable in the rips of Vineyard Sound with fish chasing down amber-colored poppers in the waves. The bite slowed down at 7 AM, but when he and his friend downsized down their plugs, the bite picked back up—although it was mostly a smaller class of fish come late morning. Prior to that, they had fish from the upper 20-inch range to 36 inches, and one that was clearly over 36 that they didn’t take the time to measure. If you didn’t have the Hogy amber poppers, he said, you weren’t getting bit. In addition to stripers, Evan said the occasional bonito is being caught in Buzzards Bay, and one customer caught one out by Hedge Fence recently. On the bottom fishing front, he added, this year has been way better for fluke in terms of keeper-size fish; the shoals in Vineyard Sound are producing quality flatties between 50 and 90 feet. There are also a fair amount of keepers off the local beaches, just make sure you have a measuring tape as there will be a lot of short fish in the mix. Brown sharks are in locally. Evan noted that he sold 60 pounds of eels to shark fishermen last weekend, so it’s safe to say they’re here in numbers and ready to eat.
Captain Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing in Osterville reported great bass fishing this week out east in Chatham. They’ve had over 20 fish on each trip with bass up to 40 inches chasing down XL Albie Snax. Ben added that when they’re not striper fishing, he’s been doing well on keeper sea bass in 45 to 55 feet of water in Nantucket Sound. They’ve even had a handful of keeper fluke mixed in. Give him a shout to get in on the bass and bottom fishing action.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said striper fishing has been good out east around Monomoy with fish to 40 inches on topwater plugs and plastics. The rips by the Vineyard, she noted, have slowed a bit. Short fluke are being caught off the local beaches, and out in the rips in western Nantucket Sound, there are keepers; nothing huge, but good ones over 17.5 inches. Black sea bass anglers are finding their keepers in 50 feet of water out in the Sound, along with some nice scup. Small bluefish, she said, have been abundant off the beaches, and there are cocktails and choppers out in open water. In Cape Cod Bay, she continued, striped bass fishing has been sporadic. Some days their customers are catching slot- and over-slot size fish, and other days they’re getting skunked. The recent heatwave could be to blame for the bass having intermittent lockjaw. Brown sharks have also shown up on the south side in good numbers, so swing by for bait and remember—the use of drones to drop baits is illegal. Plus, the sharks are closer to shore than you think.
From Nantucket, Rick Ramos shared the following report: “From the Beach — Lately, the most consistent beach fishing has come when you’re casting into the wind—where choppy water pushes bait in close and brings the fish with it. That was exactly the case last weekend when strong southwest winds drove big bluefish onto the inside beaches of Great Point. Nantucket surf guide Tammy King landed a 36-inch blue in the heavy surf. She also reported that the early morning bonito bite at Great Point continues to be solid, and striped bass have been stacking along the outer shoreline, especially during moving tides. Reports of first-light bass action are heating up at Nobadeer and Fisherman’s Beach. Anglers willing to hike out to Smith’s Point have been rewarded—Greg Chotkowski landed a 39-inch bass on a 2.5-ounce bucktail. In the harbor near Polpis, both bass and blues are active, and bluefish are showing up around sunset at 40th Pole and Dionis. Hogy’s clear topwaters have been excellent for bass on bright days, particularly the smaller sizes. XL Albie Snax in white have also been outstanding for daytime bass, and IslandX Hellfire 180s—both the amber sinking and the white with blood-splatter pattern—have been top producers for both bass and blues.
From the Boat — Captain Corey Gammill of Bill Fisher Outfitters reports that larger bluefish have moved into Old Man Shoal on the east side—a promising sign of more action to come. A recent wave of smaller blues has thinned out, but the bigger ones are starting to fill in. Striped bass remain steady off Monomoy. Additional bass are scattered along the North Shore and throughout the harbor. For those looking to mix things up, black sea bass are still around the jetties and local wrecks—great for kids and anyone after quality table fare. The fluke bite southeast of the island has also been strong. While numbers aren’t overwhelming, the quality of fish has been excellent. Focus on the southeast shoals, and with a bit of patience, you’ll find success.”
Captain Cam Faria of Cambo Fishing Charters reported that they’ve been crushing the bluefish lately on the south side of Cape with some gator specimens keeping things interesting. He’s also been running bass charters out east, where topwater plugs and plastics have been doing the heavy lifting. The bigger fish, Cam said, seem to have a preference for Magic Swimmers as of late. There are still tons of squid around but the fishing pressure has been heavy, so it takes some moving around to find fish willing to cooperate. This upcoming week, Cam’s availability is pretty open, so holler if you’d like to lock down a date. The skipper also mentioned he’s got a new 2850 Bluewater on the way from down south, which will be a fun addition to the fleet in the coming weeks.
Tyler Huckemeyer from the Helen H in Hyannis shared that fluke fishing at the Shoals has brought fast action lately with a lot of smaller fluke flying over the rails. They’re seeing a new body of fish move in with the season now well underway, but there are plenty of keepers. It’s been a steady pick for doormats; they’re still catching fluke up to 13 pounds this week. In Nantucket Sound, sea bass fishing is good and the inshore fluke bite is excellent with small and mid-size flatties keeping rods bent. Anglers are also catching some big dinner plate scup to round out the catch. Winter flounder fishing, he added, continues to be very good in Cape Cod Bay with fish to 3 pounds. This has been the best flounder fishing of the year so far! However, there are only a handful of flounder trips remaining before they switch over to striped bass on the bay side. Give the Helen H a call to inquire about availability for those remaining winter flounder trips while they’re still available.
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George Sylvestre of Sylvestre Outdoors in Brewster reported: “Sand-eel-focused striped bass spent the last few mornings churning up the Bay south of Wellfleet. Get there early, as they get pretty picky when full sun allows them to see the difference between imitations and the millions of real baitfish in the water.”
Captain Drew Downing of Down East Charters in Chatham reported: “No more bonito sightings, but starting to see bluefish in the mix now from time to time. Bass fishing continues to be productive in moving water at Monomoy. The high sun and hot temps definitely made the midday tides a bit slower these last few days, but early and late in the day was good. A mix of bait continues and we’re now seeing bird piles over sand eels up the east side of the island that have fish on them. Summer is upon us.”
Captain Matthew Dempsey of Salt Reaper Charters in Dennis reported: “Cape Cod Bay is holding strong on bass. They are feeding on little sand eels and very picky at times, but small soft plastics like Albie Snax have been working the best on these bass. It is also a great time to get the fly rod out. Streamer flies are a near-perfect match for these small sand eels.”
Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro reported: “Despite the high temperatures, our charter boats have experienced excellent light-tackle fishing this week, particularly during spectacular sunrise topwater sessions. When artificial lure action slows, switching to live bait has proven effective for maintaining consistent catches throughout the day. A favorable weather window allowed us to accommodate a recent charter for fluke fishing with great results! With temperatures beginning to drop, we anticipate even better striped bass fishing conditions ahead. Weekend availability can be viewed here.”
Captain Mike Rathgeber of Cee Jay Party Fishing in Provincetown said the big charge of bass is finally here and they’re hungry. Limit catches of slot fish have been occurring, with many over-slot stripers also coming over the rails. Bluefish are starting to show up in the mix as well.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Welp, it looks like we’re back to standard Cape Cod weekend weather: rain and gusty wind conditions. Saturday has winds blowing mostly from the southeast/southwest, so if it’s too nasty to sail in Vineyard and Nantucket sounds, consider casting metals and epoxy jigs from the beaches for bluefish and bonito. Otherwise, send it up to the north shore of Cape and fish the bayside for stripers. There are plenty of sand eels to keep those bass around.
The outer beaches will be another option, but there’s no telling what the shifting wind will do for the bite. Southeast winds may push some clean water and sand eels in tight to the beach, and with some bigger surf, it’d be a good time to fish slender soft plastics, bucktails, minnow plugs and needlefish from Outer Cape sand.
Bottom fishing is another good option if seas remain calm enough to sail. Down south, between the Cape and islands, fluke, sea bass, and scup are providing some reliable action. Nantucket Sound is fishing well for fluke and sea bass, while the shoals of Vineyard Sound host a solid fluke bite with the potential for some topwater striper action.
For the striper enthusiasts, consider hitting the Cape Cod Canal. It’s been slow recently, but the fish have to pass through there sometime. Based on the presence of mackerel in the west end, early morning east tides, and some cooler weather, the odds are in your favor.
Good luck and be safe out there.