Cape Cod Fishing Report
With Independence Day in the rearview, and hot, muggy conditions dominating the forecast this week, we’re easing into what many folks consider the “dog days” of summer. In terms of striped bass fishing, sure—but there are plenty of other species worth targeting around the Cape this time of year.
Shore anglers on the south side of Cape Cod have so many options, and the jetties lining Vineyard and Nantucket sounds are great places to start. Big scup are abundant in shallow water these days, and anglers who are casting high-low rigs baited with squid or clam have been pulling in enough meat for the dinner table. That’s a fun and relaxing option, and great for kids, too. Plus, there’s always a few bonus species in the mix like northern kingfish, fluke, and the venerable sea robin.
Fluke fishing will reach its peak this month, and come August, we’ll see the average size decrease a tad in the backwaters as baitfish like peanut bunker, silversides, bay anchovies and finger mullet drop out. However, at this time, there are keepers mixed in with short fish all along the south side beaches and in the bays. I’ve been meaning to take out my 9-weight fly rod and cast around Clousers for shallow-water fluke. Hotspots worth trying are inlets to bays and salt ponds, or adjacent beaches where there’s some good clean, moving water. Look for pinch points and places with sharp changes in depth, too, as fluke tend to stage in these areas to ambush baitfish and crustaceans. If you’re fishing from a south-side beach and there’s a decent drop-off right along the beach where the waves break, pitch a lightweight bucktail jig or your favorite Gulp/jighead combo parallel to shore, and work the beach lip. Even slight depressions, or places where the bottom composition changes from sand to rock/gravel, can hold surprising amounts of fluke.
The Buck Moon, which is July’s full moon, is happening tonight, and it seems those exaggerated tides may have carried in another wave of bluefish from the ocean. There are blues of mixed sizes all throughout Vineyard and Nantucket sounds—from Woods Hole to Monomoy, down around the south side of the Vineyard, and up into the northern reaches of Buzzards Bay. Anglers in Buzzards are reporting fast-moving schools of blitzing blues in the 5- to 6-pound range, and shore anglers on the south side are experiencing a similar class; further from shore, in places like Horseshoe Shoal and Middle Ground, blues to around 8 pounds and up have moved in over the past few days. We needed this bluefish invasion, and I for one am very hopeful they stick around… at least until more bonito show up.
Things got quiet on the hardtail front for a couple of weeks, but anglers fishing around schools of blitzing blues in Buzzards Bay have reportedly spotted bonito in the mix. Here’s hoping for another push of those toothy speedsters in the weeks to come.
If you’re a shore angler looking for striper action, stick to the night shift. There are schoolies and slot-size fish still available in the salt ponds and back bays, but they’re likely to be holding deep now that water temperatures have really warmed up. Skip throwing the swimming plugs and reach for bucktails and soft plastics on jigs, or pick up some live eels and cast them out in channels, holes, and rips where they can swim down a bit. If your local striper spots aren’t producing, consider a drive to the Canal or the outer beaches; this Buck Moon might send some fish packing in search of slightly cooler water. It sounds like a few fish have left Monomoy, and there have been sand eels east of Chatham, so I’m holding on hope for an outer Cape surf bite to develop.
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 had just returned from a tuna trip in Cape Cod Bay on Wednesday and reported plentiful but picky fish ranging from 65 inches to giant status. He joined Captain Alex Ridgway of Cape Cod Offshore to chase bluefin that were bouncing between schools of bunker and mackerel, unfortunately to no avail. However, it was a promising sign for the days and weeks to come. Meanwhile, back in Buzzards Bay, fluke fishing is good. There are keepers to be caught in the north end of the bay, and plenty of shorts and the occasional keeper in the harbors. In the next month or so, he anticipates some larger fluke pushing double-digits to show up in Buzzards. Connor added that there have been some cocktail bluefish to around 5 pounds on the mainland side of Buzzards too. The Canal, he said, is starting to see better action. Bull MacKinnon from the shop had mid-20-inch to slot-size fish on top all morning in the east end. The bass were chasing squid and mackerel and taking small pencil poppers, peanut bunker jigs, and small Savage Gear sand eels. The west end of the ditch, he said, has some nice-size bluefish.
Alex MacMillian of FishLinked Charters in Wareham reported: “Cape Cod Bay has been packed with bait for a while now. There have been a few tuna cruising around in the bay too, ping-ponging between balls of pogies with no real pattern. There is a ridiculously easy striper bite out around P-Town, and a few live-lined macks will get the job done. Buzzards Bay has been getting real flukey lately off the west end of the Canal; not too many with size, but we have found them up to 21 inches with a few keeper black sea bass in the mix along with weakfish, scup, and dogfish. It’s your typical Buzzards Bay mixed bag. There are also some very large tuna beginning to show down south, we’re just hoping they stick around for a bit.”
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth reported most people looking for bass are going out east toward Chatham. There are some finicky bass still in the rips of Vineyard Sound, but they have mostly cleared out or been feeding tight to bottom; the guys jigging wire are still getting a few small fish, but the topwater bite is certainly coming to an end with these warmer water temperatures. Shark fishing is dominating the shore fishing scene—Evan’s having a hard time keeping eels in stock lately. There are some big rays around, too—not just sandbar sharks. Fluke fishing, he continued, has been very, very good—better than he can recall in the last 5 years at least. From shore, fluke anglers are catching plenty of short fish and keepers around the mouths of salt ponds and down in Woods Hole, where there are some larger keeper-class flatties. More people are catching bluefish recently too; it seems like a wave of them just pushed in because he’s had good reports from customers off Waquoit Bay, all the way out to Squibnocket, and up into lower Buzzards Bay. There have even been a few more bonito sightings in upper Buzzards Bay, but no confirmed catches as of late. It’s possible those quick up-and-down surface feeds are the work of small bluefish as well. Speaking of hardtails, tuna fishing has heated up to the southwest, beyond the islands, and trolling spreaders has been the ticket. However, there are tons of sand eels out east of Chatham, so it’s only a matter of time before the bluefin action becomes widespread. Veatch Canyon, he added, had good fishing for bluefin and bigeye tuna, giant swordfish and more over the holiday weekend.
Amy at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said their customers have been getting a lot of mid-size bluefish right off the mid Cape beaches, throwing tins and epoxy jigs. The bigger bluefish, she said, seem to be further out around Horseshoe Shoal. As far as striper, they are still stacked pretty good in the rips off Monomoy with slot and over-slot fish taking topwater plugs, soft plastics, and minnow plugs. In that same neck of the woods, Amy said, fluke fishing has been very good lately with solid numbers of fish and plenty of keepers. Back closer to home, and along the south-facing beaches and jetties, scup fishing has been great for shore anglers, and there are some northern kingfish and pesky sea robins in the mix.
Captain Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing in Osterville said his charter caught a few small schoolies yesterday afternoon out in Monomoy, along with a lot of snapper blues. Monomoy has definitely slowed down, according to Ben; there aren’t as many fish out there now, which may be a result of these Buck Moon tides sending some fish packing… and that means there could be good numbers of bass pushing up the backside beaches. Ben said there have been schoolies in the harbors up in Cape Cod Bay, but he’s looking to make a run south for tuna in the coming days if conditions align. He’s got the trolling gear rigged up and spinning gear at the ready in case something changes, but right now, trolling seems to be the ticket.
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Captain Kurt Freund of Fishsticks Charters on Martha’s Vineyard reported: “This week, it’s clear that we have turned a page. The early season had great striped bass action in the rips, but that has dropped way off, and as we enter this next part of the season, we have turn our attention to bluefish and fluke and sea bass, while hoping for an opportunity to get offshore for a shot at some tuna. So, we have devoted part of each trip this week to searching for bluefish, with limited success. Yesterday, casting under a huge flock of birds to a school of what I suspected were sea bass, Dave Bourassa surprised me with a nice 8-pound bluefish on his first cast. We’ve had much more success this week with fluke and sea bass. Every trip has produced keeper fluke, and I’m not talking about just-barely-keepers. I’m talking about “I don’t need to measure that fish but I want to” size fluke. We’ve had a few 6-pound fluke and a 7 pounder, as well as a few 3- and 4-pound fish. And we’ve found increasing numbers of keeper sea bass up to 20 inches along with many smaller fish. I’m looking forward to fishing the Fluke for Luke tournament this weekend with my teammates on Fishsticks with Charter Sauce, Hans and Jacob Riis. Meanwhile I’m hoping for a good weather window, a day off and some solid intel to come together so I can scoot out for a tuna trip. I’m fully equipped to troll, jig or cast for tuna, so anyone who’s interested in the small-boat, light-tackle tuna experience should call to book a trip.”
From Nantucket, Rick Ramos shared the following report: “From the Beach — High winds and recent swells have made surfcasting a challenge, but fish are still being caught by those willing to put in the effort. Covering ground is key, and your best chances will come during the top and bottom of the tides, especially with the wind in your face. A few bass were landed this week along the south side beaches from Madequecham to Point of Breakers. Anglers Greg Chotkowski, Bobby King, and Mike Waine have been hiking out to Smith Point and finding success using 2.5- to 3.5-ounce bucktails, targeting bass holding deep in the troughs of fast-moving water. Don’t overlook the edges on your walk out, as fish are also staging in deeper pockets. In the harbor, Timmy Sullivan picked up a few bass on soft plastics. Bluefish action has been spotty, but angler Paul Craney reported a memorable blitz at Dionis Beach, providing hours of topwater, light-tackle fun.
As we move into mid-summer, some anglers are shifting focus to surfcasting for sharks. Local angler Sam Brandt reports that shark fishing has finally picked up after a slow start, with the inside of Great Point and the eastern North Shore producing best. Large roughtail rays and sandbar sharks are showing up in both size and numbers. Top baits include bluefish chunks and bonito—if you can find them! Remember, all recreational shark anglers must use non-offset circle hooks and proper gear to reduce fight time. Sam also emphasizes safe shark handling: keep fish wet in the wash, maintain control when releasing, stay quick on your feet, and never enter the water beyond your knees during the release. Always check state regulations before heading out, and inexperienced anglers are strongly encouraged to hire a knowledgeable guide. Be safe out there!
From the Boat — It’s been a tough stretch on the water. According to Captain Corey Gammill, striped bass have mostly been spread out from the winds, with few reports of slowed bites on the West End, East Side, or even Monomoy Shoals. Great Point has also been quiet. While there are still scattered bass around, the bite has definitely cooled off. Bluefish haven’t settled into a consistent pattern, but there are scattered groups around the North Shore—mostly small to medium-sized fish, with a few bigger ones mixed in. Black sea bass are still holding along the deeper edges. Strong winds and heavy swells have limited boat activity recently, but as conditions improve, we’re looking forward to getting back out and dialing in on where the fish have moved.”
Captain Cam Faria of Cambo Fishing Charters said it was a busy week on the striper grounds both out by Monomoy and north of Boston. Cam said the rips are still loaded with bass, but they’re going tuna fishing down south of the islands tomorrow. Give him a shout to inquire about availability and upcoming trips.
Captain Drew Downing of Down East Charters in Chatham reported: “Monomoy continues to produce on both tides with more sand eels in the mix and warmer, mid-summer water temps arriving. Early and late day tides help, as does the fog since it provides those low light conditions that keep the fish biting. Keep a watchful eye on your radar down there as boats in the rip edges are very hard to see. Slow speed approaches are a must. Out east, things are slowly developing. We have not seen a lot of tuna but the bait and life are widespread. Should be any day.”
Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro reported: “Spirited anglers toughing it out in foggy and rainy conditions aboard the Reel Deal fleet the past few days have been heavily rewarded with some awesome striped bass catches, landing bucket-list broomtails over the 40-inch mark! The jig bite has lit up considerably, with the green tube tail 007 diamond jigs getting a whole lot of interest from mid-summer stripers. The topwater bite is still strong too, for the earlier morning trips—although we’re switching it up recently to better match the hatch with the darker plugs in black and purple. Be sure to get in on this action while the bite is still hot and reserve your trip today!”
Captain Matthew Dempsey of Salt Reaper Charters in Dennis reported: “Cape Cod Bay has been great for slot-size fish that are keyed in on sand eels. The bigger bass seem be looking for squid, and feeds are short-lived, but being in the right place at the right time will produce some great fish. Trolling hoochies was working great for locating fish, then we’re switching to casting large Fish Snax and Docs once we’re on them.”
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
This is the first weekend in recent memory in which the wind looks moderately low and manageable. If you have the means, it’ll be a good weekend to make the run south to scope out the tuna fishing happening off of Rhode Island (which seems to be mostly a trolling bite). However, there are large rec. class tuna chasing bunker and macks in Cape Cod Bay, too, and with piles of sand eels and mackerel out east, the bluefin bite could pop off just about anywhere. The bait is there, so keep an eye on water temperatures to help you make the final call as to which direction has the greatest potential.
Inshore anglers can find great fishing right in our backyard. The best bites going right now are for fluke, bluefish, and stripers (depending on where you go). Cape Cod Bay and Monomoy remain the best bets for bass action, especially during daylight hours. Surfcasters should consider throwing live eels and rigged Slug-Gos in boulder fields, hitting the Canal at first light, or casting for schoolies at night along the beaches.
Daytime shore anglers can find good fluke fishing along the south-facing beaches and in places like Waquoit and Popponessett bays, or in rivers and creeks, like Bass River. In the sound, shore casters throwing tins and epoxy jigs also stand to run into mixed classes of bluefish.
Plenty of places and opportunities to bend a rod going into the weekend. Get out and enjoy it!