Cape Cod Fishing Report
There’s no sugar-coating it. As we head into the thick of winter, our current fishing options are bleak. Many of Cape Cod’s small freshwater ponds are still plagued by the skim ice cycle. We’ve been talking about it for weeks and, since Christmas, not much has changed. Slushy, paper-thin ice blanketed most of the waters that were previously open to shore and wading fishermen in search of bass, pickerel, and perch. Even larger, deeper kettle ponds like Johns, Ashumet, Peters and Mashpee-Wakeby, were covered by patchy ice this week until it melted following a 50-degree front that brought wind and rain. The only thing keeping some of those kettle ponds free of ice now is the wind, which hasn’t hit a lull since Monday’s warm front. Since then, we’ve been hit with a cold snap, and our small woodland ponds and bogs are again locking up with ice. Before next week’s “warm” front of low-40-degree temps, Cape Codders might be able to ring in the New Year with a day or two of ice fishing if we’re lucky. Otherwise, casting for trout on the wind-blown kettle ponds is the best bet for a bent rod.
Use extreme caution when testing the ice due to the recent wind and brief melt-off after last Monday’s rain. If you’re thinking of giving it a shot, call your nearest tackle shop now to inquire about the availability of live shiners, nightcrawlers, and waxworms. They will be hot commodities and with most shops on winter hours, you’ll want to secure bait well in advance of your outing. Look to small, shaded ponds for safe ice and set your baits at various depths along ledges, points, weed lines, and in shallow coves. These are likely areas to encounter largemouth, pickerel, and the small panfish on which they prey during the early winter. If you do find safe ice, don’t get too comfortable out there. By next Wednesday (1/7/26), mild weather takes hold for a few days, which will likely create pockets of open water and lead to unsafe ice conditions once again.
Since the kettle ponds are currently open to shore and wading anglers, trout should be the first species on your 2026 bucket list. Rainbow trout from the state’s fall stocking program, and brown trout left over from the spring, were plenty active prior to the recent short-lived freeze. In an office full of fishermen, it’s all we were talking about. Rainbows had been chewing aggressively at dawn and dusk in a number of ponds, gorging on juvenile river herring and banded killies to fatten up for the winter. Meanwhile, brown trout were prowling the shallows at night to pick off unsuspecting yellow perch and sunfish that had hunkered down in remaining patches of vegetation. If you can find some ice-free water over the next week, use the early mornings to bundle up and cast spoons, spinners, jigs, jerkbaits, and jointed Rapalas for rainbow and brown trout. You may even coax a big yellow perch or lethargic largemouth bass to eat.
Largemouth fishing was much tougher this December than it has been in a few years, and the same goes for pickerel despite their willingness to chase down baits in cold water. But some anglers, like my friend Noah Lamperti, were able to stick a few bass before the ponds began to freeze over. Surprisingly, Noah caught a respectable largemouth on a wakebait in an outer Cape pond during Christmas Eve’s wintery mix of rain and snow.
This time of year, bass fishing prior to or during the onset of major weather events is the best bet for some action. Bass and pickerel respond to major changes in barometric pressure as if it were a signal to feed. It pays to check the forecast because you can set yourself up for success by fishing when the pressure is falling as weather systems move into the area. Earlier this week, those snotty windy and rainy conditions yielded a monster 7-pound chain pickerel for Ger Khang’s son, Gus, during their last open-water trip of the year. Check out the photo, shared by Goose Hummock Shops in Orleans, below.
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Chris at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me the ponds are still open after Monday’s rain and trout fishing has not slowed down one bit. A few shop regulars have had 12-fish days on spinners and spoons, and PowerBait has been working well for the kids. Chris also mentioned that they can hardly keep nightcrawlers in stock, so if you’re not above fishing with a worm and bobber, it’s worth a try. Things are quiet on the largemouth front, he said, which is likely due to many smaller bass ponds seeing skim ice now. Chris also mentioned that the shop will soon be offering tackle kits, building off of their Lure of the Week series. Each kit will be packed with a variety of lures to help you dial in different techniques for freshwater species in our area. They will soon be available in store and eventually, online.
Christian at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis reported that the trout bite has been wild lately, and even the bass fishing is good when you can find open water. His fly fishing mentor caught 6 rainbows and a big brown yesterday by flicking a Woolly Bugger onto the ice and dragging it into the water, where the trout were just waiting to pounce on it. He also said nightcrawlers have been working extremely well. For the bass, black Woolly Buggers and leeches have been producing great results on the fly, and Ned rigs and micro plastics are working for anglers with spinning gear. However, he did note that finding open water may require some driving around; many of the ponds near the shop are half-frozen, so only certain spots and wind-blown shorelines are fishable. That might change soon, though. He cited overnight temperatures in the 20s throughout the next week, and in anticipation of ice fishing season, the shop loaded up on shiners, nightcrawlers and trout worms (waxworms). Swing by to check out their selection of freshwater lures and live baits.
Ian at Goose Hummock Shops in Orleans reported that bigger bodies of water on the outer Cape are open, but there’s skim ice around the edges. Trout fishing in larger kettle ponds, like Big Cliff, should hold up nicely until this cold snap puts the kibosh on shore fishing and wading. Trout aside, Ian said the best thing going right now is white perch fishing near herring runs with ultralight gear. He and a friend have found perch stacked in an area where moving water from the run meets stagnant pond water, and that’s been keeping him busy since the rain melted off some ice earlier this week. Ian mentioned that, as brutal and uncomfortable as it may be, wind blown shorelines are the best places to focus your efforts since they’re more likely to be free of skim ice. Goose is preparing for the New England Boat Show in Boston next weekend, so if your schedule is open, head up to the city and swing by the booth to restock on saltwater tackle for the 2026 season.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
We are on the cusp of Cape Cod’s ice fishing season. Anglers in central and western Massachusetts have been ice fishing for weeks now. Coastal areas are usually the last to freeze over, and with temps dipping into the teens this weekend, it looks like we might have our first shots on the hardwater by early next week. Stick to small bass and pickerel ponds if you’re going to try ice fishing, and review these safety tips before you consider venturing out on the ice.
For those who prefer to wade or fish from shore, you may find a few bass ponds with fishable water, but the kettle ponds are the places to be. Good trout fishing continues for anglers throwing flies, spinners, spoons, plastics, nightcrawlers… You name it, the trout are eating it.
There are sub-freezing overnight temps ahead, so take advantage of the “mild” weather and open water while it lasts. We may experience a brief 2-3 day stretch in which everything is frozen next week, but it’ll be followed by 3 days of weather in the 40s, so don’t rack your spinning rods and fly rods yet.
I wish we had more to share at this time, but until the ice fishing season is underway, freshwater fishing reports will be scant. Stay tuned for brief weekly updates throughout the month of January. Our next full-length Cape Cod Fishing Report will be published in early February and by then, we should have more to share.
Stay warm, stay safe, and have a Happy New Year!