Cape Cod Fishing Report
Although I can’t stand the overused term “summer doldrums”, it’s an appropriate way to sum up the inshore fishing scene lately (with a few exceptions). Perhaps this week’s fishing is just a bit slower due to the shifting wind and heavy rain Mother Nature dealt us, which dirtied up the water a bit and reshuffled the deck for anglers who were beginning to build late-summer patterns. But let’s not harp on the bad and instead, focus on the pockets of good fishing opportunities that are available around Cape as we head into the last leg of July. And let me start by saying, thank goodness for the strong showing of sand eels this summer.
Solid striped bass fishing continues off Monomoy this week, where a good deal of over-slot fish are feeding on sand eels and squid in the rips. The incoming tides, which bring cooler water in from the ocean, have proven to be the right time for squid presentations like Albie Snax and pink or amber-colored poppers up top, and 1- to 1.5-ounce jigs paired with soft plastics when the bass are hanging low. Sand eels are still the baitfish du jour, though, so it’d be wise to keep a mix of small metals and epoxy jigs on hand in addition to slender-bodied plastics like Z-Man Slim Swimz.
It’s not just Monomoy where sand eels are the most prevalent. They’re all around the Cape, and especially along the backside beaches, which has brought some horse mackerel close to shore. When those mackerel came in tight to the beach, surfcasters on the outer Cape enjoyed sporadic blitz action from large stripers up to the mid-40-inch class earlier this week. Meanwhile, in Cape Cod Bay, there are more shortfin squid—the same ones that have been around since early June—moving in shallow to feed on the sand eels at night. I had small sand eels all around me last night, and squid were tapping my plugs. There are some stripers ranging from under-slot to just over-slot taking advantage of those squid when they move in shallow at night, but the bass seem to be hanging in deeper water otherwise. Boats continue to do well by vertically jigging diamond jigs and trolling out deep during the daytime, or catching the bass off guard around first light when they push squid and sand eels to the surface.
Down on the south side in Vineyard and Nantucket sounds, it’s mostly sand eels that are fueling decent bottom fishing for fluke, sea bass, and scup. Sea bass fishing hasn’t been outstanding this season, and it’s taken another dive this week according to our area charters and tackle shops. Fluking, however, has picked up a bit, and it’s about time. A late start to the inshore fluke season seems to be the trend across the Northeast this year. Even in New York and New Jersey, only in the past few weeks have anglers seen much more consistent keeper action. Locally, there are loads of short fluke around. Picking a few keepers from the piles of throwbacks remains a challenge, but the action has reached a much better pace. If you can get your hands on some Berkley Gulp sand eels, try drifting over deep, sandy contours in Vineyard Sound or jigging drop-offs around the harbor mouths and inlets across the south side. Shore and wading fishermen, myself included, are facing the same hardships as boat anglers: plenty of fluke, but not exactly plenty of keepers. Light bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp swimming mullets and grubs, with a teaser hook 12 to 18 inches above the jig, continue to produce the most consistent results from the beaches and in the backwaters. If you can’t get through the shorts, try using larger Gulps. It may slow the action, but it’s the best way to cull a fish or two for the table.
Spotty schools of cocktail blues are eating sand eels, too, although they remain tough to pin down. At times, they’re blitzing off the upper and mid-Cape beaches, and boats are occasionally running into them along the north side of the Vineyard. If you stumble across a bluefish bite, especially in Vineyard Sound by the Elizbaeths, stick with them for a bit. The first reliable bonito report I’ve received since earlier this spring came from AJ at Red Top, who said one of their customers ran into them down the Elizabeths and caught a few before they disappeared. Let’s pray that the bonito fill in over the coming weeks to keep us busy until the albies—and maybe, Spanish mackerel—show up.
Fishing for sandbar sharks from the beaches of Nantucket Sound is also an option, but be aware there have been a lot of large roughtail stingrays around this season. If you hook one, you’ll know it immediately, and you won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Here’s this week’s rundown from a few of our local shops and charters:
AJ Coots at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay said there are some stripers chewing in the Canal around mid to late morning, and most anglers are catching from the middle of the ditch to the east end. Jigging metals has been the move this week for their ability to cast long-distance, sink quickly, and get down into the deeper holes where the bass are sitting. Plus, their slender profiles do a fine job of imitating the small baitfish that have been prevalent in the Canal for weeks now. When he mentioned metals, I couldn’t help but think about bluefish, but AJ said he’s received no word of blues in Buzzards Bay lately. They are super tough to pin down this year. Down in lower Buzzards Bay, however, bonito have shown up off Elizabeths, according to one of their customers who caught a few of them this week. AJ also added that there’s a good bass bite up off Boston, where they’re feeding on bunker, and there are some quality fish to 40 inches in the harbors along the south shore as well. Offshore, the canyons are still red hot for yellowfin and there are good numbers of marlin available in the colder water, too. He’s got a trip to the canyons with Willy Hatch of Machaca Charters on Monday and will report on the trip next week.
Evan at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle in Falmouth told me it’s been a bit of a slow week in terms of local fishing opportunities, but there are resident bass around and bottom fishing is decent for scup and fluke. Evan said his buddy was catching low-30-inch class stripers that were blitzing on top down by Woods Hole earlier this week, but he just stumbled upon the feed and happened to connect with 10 or 15 fish. If you’re looking to pattern a more reliable bass bite, he recommends fishing live eels off the Elizabeths—just be prepared to potentially run into brown sharks. Water temperatures are warm, but the further down the islands you go, the cooler it gets. As far as bottom fishing, Evan mentioned that Captain Ron Signs of Bucktail Charters has been doing really well with fluke in the sound. Evan suggests fishing deep for fluke, focusing on 70 to 100 feet of water in areas of sandy or gravel bottom with some mild structure where the draggers can’t get at them.
Captain Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing out of Osterville told me that the last time he was out in Nantucket Sound, he ran into a bunch of cocktail bluefish feeding beneath birds in between the Vineyard and the Grey Lady. Sand eels have been abundant off the south side of Cape across to the Vineyard for weeks now, and he and his charters had their share of blues on slender tins and epoxy jigs cast into the feeds. Ben noted that he has yet to see any bonito in the mix, but this is the time of year when they should start to trickle in. He added that there is still a decent striper bite over in Cape Cod Bay, but the fish seem to be a bit scattered lately. Capt. Ben is now able to trailer his 25-foot Grady White, so he’s flexible when it comes to running trips in different parts of the Cape. Give him a shout to inquire about upcoming availability.
From Martha’s Vineyard, Captain Kurt Freund of Fishsticks Charters out of Vineyard Haven reported: “It has been my busiest week of the season so far since the last report, and we have spent it almost exclusively on fluke and sea bass fishing. We have fished the deep water in Vineyard Sound, both along the North Shore of the Vineyard and along the Elizabeths, and off of East Beach, and I can’t say there’s a clear winner. The fishing at all these areas has been good, though not great. We have put together some good catches of fluke and sea bass on all the trips. Fluke have ranged up to 23” and sea bass to 19”. No monsters this week, but plenty of respectable keepers. One highlight came on Cathy Carlson’s trip when we spotted a flock of terns working over some big schools of bait. Many of these sightings have been false alarms, with just cormorants and no gamefish under the birds, but this time we clearly saw the swirls of feeding fish and decided to take a break from fluking and cast to them. The fish were up and down quickly, but Cathy managed to hook and land a nice striped bass.”
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Christian at Sports Port Bait and Tackle in Hyannis told me things have slowed down just a bit this week due to the recent storms and wind dirtying up the water, but there’s still good fishing to be had by boat and from shore. The bluefish bite from shore on the south side, and over toward the Vineyard for the boat crowd, has been a reliable option. Christian said they were catching cocktails on topwaters and tins a few days ago even when it was blowing. In the back bays of Nantucket Sound, schoolies are taking live eels and soft plastics at night, which has provided some accessible, light-tackle fun for him and their shop regulars. It’s good to hear of some under-slot fish locally, especially with water temperatures being so high. Out in the Sound, and off the beaches, there are plenty of scup and short fluke being caught with an occasional keeper mixed in. Sea bass fishing, he added, has been a little tough for keepers. The fluke bite from shore has been fast-paced, but it’s mostly throwbacks, so try upsizing your baits to target some of the larger fish. Christian also mentioned that he and the guys from the shop have been catching big largemouth and pickerel in the ponds, which is always a reliable option, especially when conditions are less than ideal for the salt.
Tyler Huckemeyer of the Helen H Fleet in Hyannis reported that the fluke bite at Nantucket Shoals has been consistent, but it’s a bit of a grind. The action is not exactly on fire, so anglers are having to work a bit harder, focus on presentation, and be aware of what the hot color or bait of the day is. That said, they’re still coming back with a good haul of keepers. Closer to home in Nantucket Sound, porgies and sea bass are the name of the game, although catches of keeper sea bass are a little lighter these days, which is typical for mid-summer. Striper fishing, he added, has been good in the bay, it’s just been tough to find slot-size fish.
Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth reported: “With this week’s strong SW winds, surf fishing has been the best bet for our crew and customers. Sharkin’ continues to be an excellent option across all the Nantucket Sound side beaches. Customer Steven hooked and landed a nice brown with his daughter this past week! Striper have been biting in the surf as well, with scattered bites reported from the backside beaches. Shop staff member Noah and customer Vinny Simmarano had a fast bite of bass to 35- to 36-inch fish on sand-eel-colored Fish Snax Super Snax Sunday morning. Sand eels, and occasionally mackerel, have been the primary forage.
Most boat anglers are currently shorebound due to the strong winds and rough weather, but look forward to resuming bass and bottom fishing once the weather improves this weekend. Weather and tide conditions look perfect for first light topwater action at Monomoy or in Cape Cod Bay. Bottom fishing was slow before the big blow, but the inshore and Nantucket Shoals sea bass and fluke bite will hopefully improve after the strong SW winds subside. Our crew is hard at work re-stocking shelves with all the plugs, plastics, and assorted tackle you’ll need to get on the water this weekend!”
Captain Matthew Dempsey of Salt Reaper Charters out of Dennis said the striped bass bite has slowed down just a tad due to weaker tides, both on the south side and in Cape Cod Bay, but he’s been keeping his charters on the fish by focusing on the first light bite window. Large topwater spooks and Magic Swimmers are still producing the best results early in the morning when the stripers are most actively feeding, but he’s occasionally picking up fish on X-Raps when the bass are not pushing squid up top and they need to troll to locate a new body of fish. Give him a call to inquire about open dates through the rest of the summer.
Captain Drew Downing of Down East Charters out of Chatham reported: “Fishing has been really decent locally this week between bouts of wind. The full summer pattern is on display now with terns and sand eels mixing in on both tides and squid still showing in areas where water temps grab the 50’s to low 60’s. Changing presentation and strategy based on stage of the tide and bait present has been key. That wind and cloud cover really helps keep the bite going on these hot days as long as you can still run the boat to the fish.”
Captain Elena Rice of Reel Deal Fishing Charters out of Truro reported: “The topwater striped bass bite off outer Cape Cod is absolutely thriving! Customers of all ages and skill levels are enjoying some catches of a lifetime bringing in 40-inch-plus striped bass on light tackle with some even closing in on the 50-inch mark. It has been a week of big fish hitting Hogy Dog Walkers and needlefish-style plugs, as well as live bait since the squid presence remains historically high. Heading into the end of July, we are very excited to have this top notch striped bass fishing activity persist, so be sure to get your Reel Deal fishing charter booked soon.”
Cape Cod Fishing Forecast
What a gorgeous forecast compared to last weekend. Warm weather, low wind, and sunny skies should make it a great time to get out on the boat or to hit the beach. On the upper and mid-Cape, fluke, cocktail bluefish, and some scattered striped bass will carry us into next week. On the backside, it’s all about stripers and mackerel on sand eels. And in Cape Cod Bay, there are big bass following squid, sand eels, and the occasional bunker pod.
If you’re fishing from shore on the south side, blind casting metals and epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve is a good way to tempt any bluefish that might be feasting on sand eels close to sand. Small pencils and Polaris-style poppers are always good to carry too. If the blues don’t cooperate, tie on a bucktail and teaser, add your choice of Gulp, and start working points, sandbars, troughs, and of course, the beach lip for fluke.
Surfcasters should keep an eye and an ear on the backside beaches, where mackerel are eating sand eels and, at times, big stripers have been eating the macks. Cape Cod Bay is worth some time after dark too; the bite has been a bit spotty, but if you can locate bait, stick with it and the bass should be nearby.