Cape Cod Fishing Report- October 2, 2025

Cape Cod Fishing Report

Nantucket Sound has hosted some excellent albie feeds this week, and despite the sheer numbers of fish and sustained surface action, they’re still picky one day and aggressive the next. The bite seems to be starting a bit later in the morning rather than at first light. Bay anchovies are their primary forage, but with more spearing, peanut bunker, and sparse mullet dropping out of the bays and rivers, they’re showing a willingness to swipe at larger offerings like heavier jigs and Albie Snax at times. Earlier this week, OTW’s Matt Ryan was the first in our office to stick a little tunny from shore this season when they pressed schools of silversides tight to shore in the afternoon. OTW’s Patrick Washburn even found albies crashing through schools of small bluefish that were corralling rain bait in between jetties on the south side of Cape. Many anglers agree that October albies seem to feed a bit more recklessly later in the season, and this week, that certainly seems to hold true.

While kayak fishing off Hyannis on Tuesday, the Sound was quiet at first light, but after about 15 minutes of sun, small fish that I couldn’t identify began boiling on anchovies all around me. I hooked one and dropped it, assuming it was a small sea bass or bluefish; then the albies popped up, and they were everywhere. I couldn’t chase down a feed without a bunch of fish breaking within feet of my kayak, but still struggled to convert. The casting egg and fly was the only thing they showed interest in, and a few chased it down all the way to the bow of my kayak before veering off. Unfortunately, I ran out of time and had to head to the office. It was frustrating, but undoubtedly the best action I’d experienced this season. Later on, I received a photo from my friend Ryan, who landed to two albies later that morning, and he was holding a juvenile jack crevalle. As it turns out, they were the mystery fish boiling on anchovies at first light. There were tons of them. It’s that time of year—you never know what you might hook.

The inlets to harbors and salt ponds across Cape Cod are rich with bait, and not only are they great places to cast for stripers, blues, and hardtails, but their jetties are giving up some nice tautog. This is a good opportunity to pitch light jigs tipped with green crabs just a few feet from the rocks. If the water is clean enough, you may even be able to sight fish a couple tog. While waiting for albies to pop up a few days ago, I pitched my epoxy jig along the jetty rocks and watched a keeper-size specimen investigate the jig and take a swipe at it, missing the hook by a hair. Between albies and bones, bluefish, tautog, and the occasional striper, shore fishing options are plentiful heading into the weekend.

Bottom fishermen in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound are catching their keeper tog in roughly 20 feet of water, give or take a few feet depending on the tide. Water temperatures are still on the mild side (in the high 60s), and until they drop into the low 60s, tautog fishing should remain solid in 20- to 30-foot depths. Leave the heavy rods and sinkers at home for now—it’s jig season.

In Cape Cod Bay, strong northeast winds on Wednesday and early Thursday dirtied up the water quite a bit in some spots, but the striper fishing has been better than it is on the south side in Nantucket Sound. And for the first time since 2023, albies have returned to Cape Cod Bay in targetable numbers, which is an exciting prospect for anglers on the outer Cape. Meanwhile, the east end of the Canal is holding some big bonito and the west end has bass chasing a smorgasbord of bait from first light into the late morning hours.

For those equipped to play catch and release with bluefin tuna, consider heading east of Chatham this weekend. Fish from 45 to 80 inches were tearing up schools of sand eels out there before the mid-week wind kept boats at the dock.

Here’s what our local shops and charters had to report heading into the weekend:

Connor Swartz at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay said this week the west end of the Cape Cod Canal has hosted some excellent striper fishing right at first light, with sustained action until around 10 a.m. Anglers throwing topwaters and jigs have all been bringing fish to the riprap. Wednesday morning was quiet, however. The fish have been fast-moving since the northeast winds set in, he said. Prior to the blow, the bulk of the action consisted of mid-30-inch to 25-pound fish chasing mackerel, butterfish, and big sand eels, which is an interesting mix for the west end. In the east end, bonito hold sway during the morning tides, and there are squid to be caught after dark. Tautog fishing, he added, has been good in Buzzards. His buddy has a 16-foot Whaler and has managed his 3-fish limit when he’s gotten out over the past week. There is still some sporadic bonito action in Buzzards too, but it’s certainly not as consistent as it was in recent weeks. 

Alex MacMillian of Fish Linked Charters in Wareham reported: “In Buzzards Bay, “togtober” is off to a strong start with multiple trips approaching limits in record time. Keepers have been in the 17- to 19-inch class while filtering shorts. The tog have been sticking around the islands and a few other spots in Buzzards Bay. Some nice scup in the mix too. Green crabs are the key as usual. I expect the tautog bite to continue ramping up with cooling waters. Running across the bay to areas around Woods Hole, you can make easy work of bonito and some mid-size bluefish. We have found luck trolling billed Yo-Zuri lures in all color ways. The tuna bite has been lights out fishing out East. We are hoping this trend continues after the blow, but judging by our latest reports, it should remain absolutely on fire.” FishLinked will be running trips into late October, so reach out to get a date on the books.

Captain Ray Jarvis of Salt of the Earth Sportfishing out of Westport reported: “Fishing has continued to be consistent. Some larger bass are moving into the area with the cooler temps and sheer amount of bait around. There are some big bass shadowing schools of anchovies, as well as rafting bass feeds in and around estuaries and outer bays. Albies and bonito have been steady, changing habits and locations on a daily basis, but chewing when you find them. Larger albies are cruising and feeding in smaller groups while smaller fish seem to be in larger schools. Again this week, working schools of anchovies even on the blind cast continues to be effective. The tautog bite is improving, with steady action on fish in the right locations.” The skipper will be running trips through November; give him a shout to inquire about his availability and secure a couple of late fall dates for stripers, albies, or tautog.

Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said there was some decent albie fishing toward Cotuit earlier this week, but the fish seem to be moving around quite a bit day to day. Last weekend, the best action was further east off Hyannis, and now they are widespread across much of western Nantucket Sound. The good news is, even though they’re “here one day and gone the next”, there seem to be a lot more albies available when you run into them, and feeds have been more sustained. The Elizabeths have quieted down, but there is a lot of bait over on the Vineyard side of the Sound and as a result, the albies have stuck around there. Bonito have been mixed in, but they’re not as abundant as they have been for most of the season. Tautog continue to garner more interest from the bottom fishing crowd, and Evan said he has more coming in on Friday—just in time for the weekend. However, he’s been selling out by mid week, so secure your bait in advance if you plan to do some togging in the near future. Striper action has been good in the local salt ponds for anglers fishing topwaters in the mornings and evenings or small live eels after dark, and there are some quality fish kicking around in Woods Hole.

• Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain around Cape Cod and the Islands 

Captain Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing out of Osterville reported super finicky albies on his trip on Tuesday. The morning bite found fish quick up and down in calm conditions, which is likely part of what contributed to their spooky nature. Later that day, he was able to put his second charter on some schoolies in the low 20-inch class while fishing around thick schools of peanuts in the bays and harbors; their biggest fish was a 31-inch slot, which they released. Some cocktail blues were mixed in, but Ben insisted that with the amount of peanut bunker around, there should be a lot more bass on them. He and his charters have really had to work hard for their stripers recently, and considering it’s the fall run, this is a sure sign of the fishery’s decline happening before our eyes, which is why he so adamantly suggested his charter on Tuesday release their one slot fish. Water temperatures are still in the high 60s, though, and with the abundance of bait right now, he is hopeful for better days of bass fishing still ahead. Give him a shout to inquire about open dates this fall.

Captain Kurt Freund of Fishsticks Charters out of Vineyard Haven reported: “During the Derby, folks in the Vineyard fishing community tend to be somewhat more tight-lipped when it comes to revealing their fishing spots. The big joke is that the question “Where did you catch that fish?” is likely to be answered “Right in the mouth!” Nevertheless, I have a strong suspicion that most of the big bluefish and albies being weighed in are coming from Nantucket. Since all my recent charters have been half-day trips, I haven’t made that long run yet. Saturday would have been a great opportunity to head out there with my Derby buddy, Hans Riis, but I had to get back early to attend a wedding. So we enjoyed the beautiful calm weather closer to home, and found some small bluefish right in Vineyard Haven harbor. And, as a bonus, I caught mine on a topwater plug, the Skitter Pop from Rapala, while Hans got his on a Deadly Dick. They were too small to weigh in, but they were delicious on the grill. Speaking of topwater plugs, after seeing a video on Hogy’s new Micro Popper, I started trying topwater plugs for bonito last year, and had some success with the Skitter Pop. Of course, then I had to get some of the Hogy poppers, and I like them a lot. But I traded out the tail flag for a single BKK hook which I dressed with bucktail. I admire the intent of the flag to minimize damage to the fish and I think the single hook on the tail is a reasonable compromise. I spent Tuesday morning with Jim Lindsay and friends, searching for bonito. We saw a LOT of bait, both peanut bunker and silversides, in schools so dense that we snagged them on our lures. And we saw some impressive feeds, with bait showering out of the water, but we did not hook up. But, as Mama always said, fishing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get. While waiting and watching for breaking fish, I dropped my jig to the bottom and caught a beautiful northern kingfish, the first I have caught in a very long time. Since I have been focusing my efforts on the Derby species, I haven’t fished for tautog yet this fall, but I am itching to get started. I have had reports from friends that the tog fishing is very good already, and I expect that it will only improve as the water cools. I have started trapping green crabs for tog bait, and I am available for tog charters any time from now until mid-November.” 

Tyler Huckemeyer of the Helen H out of Hyannis reported:

Christian at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis said the shop is blowing through green crabs this week; togging has been very strong in shallow water for boat and kayak fishermen, and they’re seeing a few decent fish caught from the jetties as well. Striped bass fishing continues to be best in the harbors and back bays, he said, but it’s definitely still a nighttime bite. With water temperatures still on the warmer side, early morning surface action and daytime blitzes have been tough to come by. However, this week, with the full moon coming on the 6th, the afternoon tides should produce some better bites. Out front in Nantucket Sound, it’s still all about the albies. Locals are even getting them from shore on jigs and Albie Snax with some regularity. Freshwater fishing, he added, has produced steady action on smallmouth bass with soft plastics worms and tubes and square bill crankbaits the top performers. Plus, fall trout stocking has begun on Cape Cod, which offers another fun light-tackle and fly option in the kettle ponds. Keep an eye on the state’s virtual trout stocking map to see what’s being stocked in your neighborhood pond and when.

Captain Drew Downing of Down East Charters in Chatham reported: “This past week has been a similar hunt for consistent fishing around Monomoy and Chatham. Bait has been so widespread on the east side that you literally have to jump around until you finally find fish underneath the birds. When you do, the action has been great. However, those patterns have been tough to establish day in and day out. Albies have been very spotty, decent numbers of bones even in those mid 50s surface temps, and again—scattered bass and blues.”

Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters in Truro reported: “The Cape Cod fall fishing season is in full swing! Early morning casting topwater into breaking schools of bonito continues, while live bait is keeping lines tight on striped bass and blues, including some very nice over-slot stripers. Right on schedule, tautog fishing is producing increased activity, as expected for early October. There is still some awesome fishing to be enjoyed before the season is out! With a sunny and calm Saturday coming up, grab this opportunity to book your fishing charter now.”

Captain Mike Rathgeber of Cee Jay Fishing Charters out of Provincetown reports: “Striped bass fishing is still outstanding with a mix of very large bonito and even a few false albacore that have shown up in the bay. The season will end for us on Columbus Day weekend, so now is the perfect time to get in some last-minute bass fishing before they start heading south. The weather this fall has been excellent and the forecast remains good through the middle of the month.” Visit their website for rates and info and call the office to book a spot before they wrap up the season. 

Cape Cod Fishing Forecast

We’re in for an unseasonably warm weather weekend by early October standards. Sunshine and highs in the mid 70s will have lots of boats on the water, so prepare to encounter finicky albies. There are plenty of them to go around, so if a fleet develops and the albies are quick up and down, or multiple boats are casting to one or two groups of fish, don’t hesitate to run the south side in search of your own bite. We’ve seen albies feeding on not only anchovies—which is typical—but larger baits like spearing, peanuts, and small bluefish as of late, so it’d be wise to keep a mix of epoxies and metals in a range of sizes and profiles, along with Albie Snax and small surface plugs.

While albies and bonito are still the best bet for the weekend, bluefish can still be found just about anywhere you look. Tautog can be caught as shallow as 5 feet, but you’re likely to find steadier action around rock piles in 15 to 30 feet of water. Jigs ranging from 3/4 to 1.5 ounces, tipped with green crabs, will do the trick.

Striped bass anglers should focus on fishing falling tides in Cape Cod Bay, where water temps are in the low 60s, compared to the south side where temps are ranging from the upper 60s to 70 degrees. The outer Cape should also see some fish moving south along the beaches; there’s no shortage of bait out there and the water is certainly cooler, but the bass have been few and far between. Even though they’re on their southern migration, don’t wait for the fish to come to you. Look for stretches of beach with good sand structure during the bottom half of the outgoing and keep your eyes peeled for bait, birds, or breaking fish.

Good luck this weekend and be safe out there!