Cape Cod Fishing Report
It’s all happening, folks. Although this week’s weather has felt more like a reversion to late March conditions and our freshwater fisheries hit a brief lull as a result, the tog bite is picking up for shore fishermen on the upper Cape and migratory striped bass have reached the south coast of Massachusetts.
The arrival of fresh stripers was slightly delayed because of colder-than-average spring weather. But everything else is right on schedule; the bait is here, water temperatures are where they need to be, and with bass around the corner in Rhode Island and mainland Massachusetts, we’re just days away from fresh fish pushing into Buzzards Bay and the upper Cape’s backwaters.
My fishing efforts have been somewhat thwarted as I prepare to move into a new home, but still, I’ve been out almost every night casting for largemouth or resident stripers. The largemouth bite has been slower than I care to admit, but that’s just anecdotal. There are river herring all over the place, from the salt ponds and rivers to the freshwater ponds further inland. When the bass bite is slow—as it was last night, when I was hit by a squall of paintball-sized hail—I’ve pivoted to hunting for stripers and scoping out early season spots for bait. In addition to piles of herring, I’ve spotted loads of grass shrimp, schools of silversides, a lone pair of squid, and quite a few elvers (glass eels), the latter of which are not striper forage but an indicator of migratory fish being nearby. The closest I’ve come to connecting with a striper in my local spots was the sound of fish blowing up on river herring in a narrow stream. However, larger river systems toward the mid and outer Cape have been giving up some quality resident fish for tight-lipped wading fishermen, and it won’t be long before those fish are joined by their migratory relatives. The same can be said for the resident fish in the rivers that feed Buzzards Bay. Shore and wading anglers are picking away at holdovers deep in the rivers and we’re just a few tide cycles from liced-up bass moving into those temperate backwaters from the ocean.
If you’re itching for stripers, get out and start hitting your early spring spots hard during the night tides this week. A falling tide will have warmer water than a rising tide, which is why I prefer it in the early spring—but do not overlook the incoming. Fresh migratory fish will ride the incoming tide into more comfortable bays and salt ponds where they’ll often stage for a few tide cycles.
In the meantime, while we wait for stripers to trickle in, sneak in some freshwater fishing. Trout, bass, pickerel, and crappie are chewing in the ponds and after today’s mild weather and sunshine, the bass bite should be on from dusk into the night. It’s amazing how just a little bit of sunlight and warm weather can influence the behavior of largemouth bass. The past couple of days were cold and windy with some precipitation, and the bite was slow, but once the sun returned, the fish woke up.
And with warmer weather comes better mixed-bag fishing in the ponds. The kettle ponds are giving up stocked trout and bass as water temperatures rise and river herring continue to flood in. Jigs, jerkbaits, tubes, paddletails, lipless cranks, spinnerbaits, and larger swimbaits or glide baits are great daytime producers of largemouth and smallmouth bass. For trout, the same staples like inline spinners, spoons, and small jerkbaits and plastics will continue to catch until true spring weather sends them to deeper, cooler water. Now is also a great time to bust out the fly rod and catch a few rainbows, browns, or brookies on dries.
Between bass, trout, pickerel and panfish in the ponds, and stripers and tautog becoming available in the salt, we’re on the cusp of peak fishing season beginning. We’ve waited all winter and spring for this exciting time of year, so make the most of it. By this time next week, I hope to be reporting that migratory stripers have officially hit the Cape.
Here’s this week’s rundown from a few of our local tackle shops and charters:
AJ Coots at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay said there are no migratory stripers in upper Buzzards Bay yet, but he heard rumors of some being caught in the surf on Martha’s Vineyard, and there are confirmed accounts of fish with sea lice pushing into the backwaters along the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border. When fish show up in those areas, AJ said, it means we’re usually a week from fresh fish reaching the upper bay. This is the typical time frame that migratory bass begin to show up, and it’s actually a few days later than usual this year due to the still-chilly water temps and foul weather. However, local holdover fishing in the rivers has been decent ahead of the arrival of migratory bass, he said. Freshwater fishing has also been solid; some jumbo crappie and bluegill were weighed in at the shop this week, and the biggest they saw was a crappie that was legitimately platter-sized. AJ mentioned they’re selling plenty of green crabs to the tog crowd this week, and there are folks fishing for mackerel and tautog in the ditch. He also wanted to make everyone aware of the petition to Save the Scusset Beach Fishing Pier, which is in need of immediate repair. If you frequent the Canal and you care about preserving recreational fishing access through this longtime landmark, please sign the petition to support restoration efforts.
Captain Ray Jarvis of Salt of the Earth Sportfishing out of Westport reported that he’s been catching some stripers locally. It seems like they’ve pushed in good over the last few days, he said, and there are lots of resident fish mixed in with the fresh arrivals. Two days ago, he had bass blowing pogies out of the water over by the MA/RI border. There is a ton of bait around and he is expecting a big push of migratory fish over the next week once temperatures have climbed back to normal levels for late April. Ray is officially beginning his charter season on Saturday, May 2, so give him a shout to get an early spring date on the books.
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Captain Brian Coombs of Get Tight Sport Fishing said holdover striped bass fishing has been excellent up in his neck of the woods around Boston, but with word of migratory fish pushing in to the south, he’s planning to start running down to Buzzards sometime in the next week for reconnaissance trips. Brian said that once he finds some fresh fish, he’ll start offering charters, which usually begins with open boats. Keep an eye on his Instagram page for announcements about open boat dates if you’re looking to get on the board early this spring.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth said he’s sold plenty of green crabs recently but angler feedback had been slow until last Friday, when a customer came in after catching 6 tautog, one of which was keeper-sized, on the south side jetties in Falmouth. It took a while to get going, but it seems the tog are finally moving into shallow enough water for shore fishermen to have some success. Evan added that he’s still getting decent freshwater reports as well; a few of the local trout ponds seem to be slowing down, possibly because they were only stocked once and have been fished out, while larger kettle ponds like Ashumet continue to fish well with Rooster Tails, PowerBait, spoons, and nightcrawlers. Largemouth fishing, he said, has been excellent. One of his friends has been crushing bass on chatterbaits and Bass Assassins over in West Falmouth, and although the fish are averaging between 2 and 3 pounds, the action has been fast-paced. There has been no word yet of migratory fish caught locally, but they should be trickling into the upper Cape’s harbors and salt ponds within the next week.
Captain Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing out of Osterville said he’s on schedule to begin his charter season on Friday, May 1. With fresh migratory fish moving in to the west and south of Cape Cod, it won’t be long before we have stripers in the salt ponds, rivers, and bays on the south side of Cape. Give Ben a call to book a trip and get on the board while there are prime early season dates available!
From Martha’s Vineyard, Stephen at Kismet Outfitters in Edgartown said they have been hard at work renovating and expanding the shop for the season ahead, so while he hasn’t personally seen any fresh stripers caught on the island, he’s confident they’re not far off. They’ve knocked out the back walls at Kismet to make a little extra room and are now prepping the rest of the shop to open on May 1.
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
Does the weekend weather look great? No. But it doesn’t look awful, either—at least until Sunday afternoon. Next week’s forecast is changing every hour, but it looks like we’re in for some rain. The good news is, daily highs will be in the mid- to upper-50-degree range and overnight lows should remain in the 40s. It’ll be uncomfortable fishing at night, but largemouth bass are going to be setting up to spawn soon and the window for a pre-spawn hog is closing. Like striper fishing, nighttime is the right time to stick a hefty largemouth, in my opinion. Anglers fishing shallow bog ponds and herring run ponds stand the best chance at landing a new personal best. Soft-bodied swimbaits, like Huddlestons, and glide baits are great ways to imitate adult river herring if you have gear heavy enough to throw them.
This weekend would also be a good time to try to catch some tautog from shore. Most tackle shops now have green crabs available, but you can always try seaworms or clam as well. Tie a few simple single-hook rigs, grab a handful of 2-ounce bank sinkers and bait from your local shop, and head for the nearest piece of rocky structure. As previously mentioned, jetties on the south and west shores of the upper Cape tend to be good places to begin the search.
Lastly, don’t wait for the first reports of migratory stripers to come in. Get out there and hit your reliable early-season spots as hard as you can. Fish during different stages of the tide and don’t stick to one type of presentation. I lean toward lightweight bucktails and small paddletails this time of year, but it all depends on location as it pertains to depth, current, and structure. 4- to 5-inch minnow plugs like SPs, Crystal Minnows, Current Snipers, and Mag Darters have excellent drawing power, especially as hungry migratory fish arrive from the ocean looking regain their energy. In shallow areas where river herring are abundant, a Redfin or slim Danny plug may be the best choice. In channels and choke points where the fish may be sitting low with their heads in the current, swimming bucktails and swim shads just above the bottom makes the most sense. The point is, let your surroundings, the conditions, and the available forage dictate what you throw, and you’ll be in good shape to connect with a striper or two ahead of the peak migration.