Cape Cod Fishing Report
What a week it has been in southeastern Massachusetts. Winter Storm Hernando was a full-blown hurricane that hammered Cape Cod and the Islands with 2 feet of snow or more and 75 mph winds, leaving thousands of residents without heat, power, and internet. From all of us here at On The Water, we hope you and your families are safe, healthy, and warm. Check on your neighbors, friends, and family members, and take care of each other as our community recovers from Hernando’s wrath.
Before the storm reached southern New England, local anglers were taking full advantage of stable ice conditions to pursue largemouth and smallmouth bass, perch, crappie, trout, and pickerel. Fishing was good through the weekend—especially on Sunday as the storm approached—but by Monday, it was flat-out dangerous to be outdoors, let alone on the ice. Now, with our roads being cleared and power/heat slowly being restored to residents and businesses, ice fishing is not exactly at the top of the to-do list for most folks. Additionally, with at least 2 feet of snow covering the ice on most lakes and ponds coupled with sunny skies and above-freezing temps, finding sturdy, clear ice will be a bit risky and challenging.
There are sub-freezing temperatures in the forecast this weekend and into early next week, so ice fishing should be feasible for a few more days. Expect anywhere from 6 to 8 inches of hard ice with some slushy snowpack on top. As our daily highs continue reach and surpass 40°F toward the end of next week, consider packing away the tip-ups and sleds until next year. By the second week of March, we’ll be looking ahead to the spring trout stocking and coldwater largemouth bass fishing.
Stay warm, stay safe, and be careful on/around the ice as we head into March. Spring is on the way.
2/19/2026
If you’ve yet to try ice fishing on Cape Cod this year, fear not—there is plenty of time do so. Judging by the advanced forecast, all signs point to Cape Codders fishing the hardwater into early March. However, it appears we’ve made it through the worst of winter’s wrath. The days of single-digit temperatures are behind us (fingers crossed), and we’re finally seeing thermometers climb into the 40s. As nice as that mild weather feels, overnight temperatures are still dropping below freezing, so any daytime melting should at least partially refreeze.
Across the Cape, freshwater anglers are reporting anywhere from 8 to 12 inches of good, hard ice. Surface layers are, for the most part, slushy only during the daytime under high sun, and a few puddles haven’t deterred folks from fishing. Trout, perch, pickerel, and largemouth bass are the main attractions, and while bass and perch are more than willing to take jigs, the overwhelming consensus is that live shiners are must-haves. The only problem is, shiners have been in such high demand that many tackle shops are struggling to keep up. As mentioned in previous reports, reach out to your local shop before the weekend to inquire about the availability of bait, and invest in an aerator to keep your shiners fresh and lively on the ponds and between outings.
I passed off my remaining shiners to Jack Renfrew today after Jimmy Fee made off with my aerator following a weekend night fishing trip on the ice. No sense in letting them go to waste. Jack has been fishing hard from the upper Cape to mid Cape and he’s catching some quality largemouth through ten inches of ice on most outings. Setting traps between 10 and 25 feet of water with shiners in different levels of the water column has been a productive technique for him.
There’s a wintery mix of rain and sleet on its way to Cape Cod, followed by a good dousing of snow and high winds on Monday, but ice conditions will be plenty stable over the weekend and into next week. Call your shops and track down some bait now because with snow on the way, we can expect more folks to be getting on the ice before the impending storm makes landfall on Monday. The fishing has been good and it could get even better as barometric pressure drops on Friday, and again on Sunday afternoon.
Stay safe out there and have fun.
2/12/2026
This week was all about variety for anglers on the ice. We’ve settled into a solid ice fishing season after the first week or so of fishable conditions left many fishermen plagued by perch. But as the ice thickened over Super Bowl weekend, when temperatures dipped back into the single digits, the fish seemed to settle into more predictable areas.
A crew from OTW hit an upper Cape kettle pond last Friday afternoon to close out the week, and we were pleased to find between 7 and 9 inches of ice, at least five of which was hard, clear ice, while the top layer seemed to be densely-packed snow that had frozen over. Our outing began the way many ice fishing ventures have this winter, with dozens of yellow perch. We couldn’t get away from them. It didn’t matter if it was an Acme Hyperglide, a Rapala Jigging Rap, a spoon, or a micro plastic—the perch were eating it. But we were searching for smallmouth bass, and after hours of catching plenty of small perch, along with some XL specimens, we finally found the bronzebacks. It was Anthony DeiCicchi, OTW’s resident smallmouth guru, who after drilling at least 10 more holes, located and finally duped a smallie with a Z-Man Micro Finesse Tiny TicklerZ—a sub-2-inch tube bait of sorts.
Shortly after Anthony’s fish, OTW’s Johhny McIntyre watched his jig get inhaled on our electronics and pulled in another decent smallie. Those were our only two bass of the outing, but our 7-man group worked hard for them. Both bass came from roughly 40 feet of water on the back edge of a steep mid-lake hump, while the perch came from anywhere between 20 and 35 feet of water. Meanwhile, the traps we had set in 10 to 15 feet of water closer to shore went untouched by trout.
Bait fishing was unproductive for us, but anglers fishing on smaller, slightly shallower ponds pulled in a nice variety of brown and rainbow trout, pickerel, and largemouth bass. Jack Renfrew shared a few photos from his snowy weekend outing, during which he and a group of friends caught a bunch of nice bass, a few big chain pickerel, trout, and perch. “We jigged up two dozen perch on a gold Little Cleo spoon,” he said. “My nephew couldn’t stop catching them, and some were super jumbos. Even swapping to big shiners, we couldn’t keep the perch away.”
The bass, he said, were biting in 18 to 25 feet of water first thing in the morning. By 10 a.m. though, the bite had shut off. The pickerel and trout, he added, came from shallow water, and all were caught on bait under traps.
The weather has warmed up a bit since last weekend, but overnight lows are still well below freezing and most ice should be plenty fishable heading into the weekend. However, it’s been very sunny with no little to no cloud cover lately, and air temperatures are slowly climbing into the low 40s by early next week. Use good judgement out there over the next few days and if you notice significant melting, pack it in early to err on the side of caution.
Check back for another brief update next week.
2/5/2026
Ice fishing is the name of the game. Last week brought extreme cold and better opportunities for anglers to get out and fish on our frozen lakes and ponds, and all signs point to solid results from a good mix of species. However, the overwhelming consensus is: yellow perch are everywhere. Anglers can’t seem to get away from them.
OTW’s Jimmy Fee told me he caught double-digits of perch on Peters Pond on Sunday, the first day of February, in less than 90 minutes of fishing. Meanwhile, my buddy Jack, who was fishing for trout on an undisclosed upper Cape kettle pond earlier this week, said he was plagued by perch for the entire day. It makes sense. Yellow perch typically begin to spawn in early March, so for the next few weeks, they’ll be feeding heavily to fatten up for the main event. It’s entirely possible to catch perch heavier than 1 pound by the dozens this time of year. And as it turns out, there were a few true jumbo perch already pulled through Cape ice this week.
Brown and rainbow trout have been competing with schools of perch for live shiners and worm baits. Jack Renfrew said the perch are all over his hooks during the day, with the best chance for trout as dusk approaches. “The trout bite is fast and furious an hour before dark,” he said, “but they aren’t totally taking the bait. They’ll mouth it and run with it before finally committing and actually eating, so patience has been the key to hooking them. Let them take some line before setting the hook, especially if you are using larger shiners.” Early morning between first light and sunrise, he added, has also been a good bite window. Browns and rainbows have been showing a clear preference for baits set just beneath the ice; he said his nephew, Caton Hendrix, had a brown trout take the bait almost right out of his hands during their Monday afternoon outing on the upper Cape.
In addition to trout, perch, and bass, pickerel are one of the more popular species through the ice, and there are even opportunities to catch northern pike on Cape Cod—if you know where to find them. That’s something I’ve never done, so I’m not at liberty to share where or how anglers approach targeting pike. But just know, it is an option.
With temps in the teens on Saturday and Sunday, I’m more inclined to scope out some brackish ponds where there might be white perch available. The prospect of fresh, blackened fish sliders on Super Bowl Sunday is keeping that dream alive.
AJ Coots at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay told me that ice fishing is the only game in town right now, and everything is biting—trout, bass, pickerel, and most of all, yellow perch. The shop weighed in a pair of chunky perch earlier this week that each went 1.75 lbs. on the scale. Live shiners and nightcrawlers are doing the job, but jigging might help you dial in the bass bite and keep smaller, pesky perch off your hooks. AJ said they just received a big order of live shiners at the shop, so stop by for your ice fishing bait this weekend.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said he heard from one customer that Pond 14 has fishable ice for local anglers looking for bass and pickerel. He hasn’t received word on the ice status of nearby trout ponds like Grews, but most areas (aside from larger, wind-blown kettle ponds) seem to have 4 inches at the very least. Still, look for 6 inches of ice or more to err on the safe side. Evan added that he is hoping to have live shiners and nightcrawlers in stock by this weekend, so call the shop to check in ahead of time.
Christian at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis reported that most ponds have finally iced over, but some areas are slightly open or have thin ice due to high winds. In the ponds and coves that are frozen solid, he said, the fishing has been buck wild. They’ve got tons of locals coming in for bait daily, and many of those anglers have shared what they’ve caught; a 16-inch, 2-pound yellow perch, a 9-pound largemouth bass, and brown trout to 4 pounds, along with plenty of pickerel and all the small yellow perch one could ask for. They’ve got a good selection of small spoons and plastics, and plenty of fresh bait for ice fishing this weekend. Swing by to load up before heading to your honey hole!
Ian McPartland at Goose Hummock Shops in Orleans said the ice has been kind of sketchy due to the wind lately, but it depends on the area. Most ponds have at least 4 inches of ice; however, he recommends picking your spots carefully, avoiding wind-blown coves and corners, and continuously checking the ice thickness throughout the day. They’re seeing a good mix of fish come through the ice locally, including trout and bass—his buddy caught a 5-pounder the other day. But the bite still seems to be dominated by yellow perch. There are tons of them in most kettle ponds and they’re feeding aggressively before spawning in a few weeks to a month’s time. Pick up a jig stick to have some fun with all the little perch, and be extra cautious when setting your traps as ice thickness can change quickly, especially in windy conditions.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Take advantage of the single-digit temps this weekend and get out on the ice with a group of friends or family members. Ice fishing is very social, and we should take advantage of these excellent hardwater options while we can. Just bring plenty of bait—a mix of nightcrawlers and live shiners, and waxworms for panfish—and expect lots of yellow perch.
If trout are what you’re after, consider hitting the ice first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon because they seem to be most active during low light conditions. Be sure to watch the wind, steer clear of patches of open water on larger kettle ponds, and focus your efforts on nearshore ledges, drop-offs, points and coves.