Early October can be one of the best, or one of the most frustrating, times to fish on the Cape. The fall run is not the southward march of striper blitzes that it once was, but fall fishing is officially in full swing. For the first time this fall, the smell of crabs wafted into my truck while pulling into work this morning, a sure sign that OTW’s Adam Eldridge has begun his bi-yearly search for nearshore white chins.
There are stripers of all sizes across the Cape. Sure, the cows are harder to find, but fish from schoolies to healthy 25-pounders are strapping on the feed bag before heading south. Bonito action seems to be pretty good, and historically, the bigger and badder bonito push nearshore in late fall. Albie action has been sporadic since the blow, and for the lowly shore-bound false albacore angler like myself, timing is everything—getting a shot at fish will prove to be challenging. Although I’m not quite ready to give up on my surf hunt for an albie, I traded my hardtail stick for a trout rod and hit a local pond to beat up on some freshly stocked rainbows. It made for a fun morning with lots of numbers, a nice change from my fruitless albie missions. That trout outing also gave me an opportunity to test out one of my favorite fishing hypotheses—that cold-water species like trout would take the opportunity to be cannibalistic over regular forage feeding to eliminate future competition. Are stocked trout the best control group to test this theory? No. But did a rainbow-trout-patterned jerkbait bring 10+ rainbows to my net? Yes.
Kurt, from FishSticks Charters on Martha’s Vineyard, filled us in on the latest Derby action: “I love the Derby. The Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, an annual event that has run for over 80 years, is a five-week tournament that highlights the (usually) excellent fishing that continues well after Labor Day, when tourism slows way down, brings the local community together and draws visitors from all over the world, and, perhaps most importantly, provides scholarships for island kids. It’s a great organization staffed by dedicated volunteers, which I’m proud to support by participating every year. That said, I don’t think I have ever looked forward to tautog fishing more than I have this year. Fishing for the Derby species—bluefish, bonito and false albacore—has been more challenging this year than I can ever remember, and has been even tougher since the storm. Before the storm, most (maybe all) of the boat-caught fish on the Derby leaderboard were caught near Nantucket. Between the nearly unrelenting windy weather and clients unwilling to go for the full-day charter needed to make that long run, I watched while some truly outstanding catches, including a new state-record albie, were weighed in and tried not to be too jealous. Well, I finally made the run out to Nantucket last Thursday, and the fishing had slowed considerably since the storm. Lauren Elliott, Cathy Coon and Nick Purday combined to land two bluefish, 8 and 6 pounds, and a couple of keeper sea bass. The good news: the bluefish they kept didn’t seem big enough to weigh in, but they were delicious. On Saturday, I fished with my Fishsticks with Charter Sauce Derby teammates, but the weather kept us closer to home. We managed a keeper sea bass and a big scup, which, again, were delicious, but Derby glory continues to elude us. On Monday, I fished with sisters Eryn and Taylor Gillis, two avid anglers and keen Derby competitors, but blanked on Derby species despite a long, looping tour of likely spots in Nantucket Sound. Our efforts were rewarded with a single keeper sea bass. Once again, delicious, but not what we were hoping for. So, when my longtime clients Nick and Melissa Biondi said that they were not set on fishing for the Derby species, I pounced on the opportunity to make my first tautog trip of the season, and it was glorious. Despite a somewhat rough ride out, we were quite comfortable on the anchor, and we found immediate and constant action with tog and sea bass on rigs and jigs. I’m so happy that the sea bass season was extended this year and will remain open for one more week. We landed more than a limit catch of tog, but released several keepers, including the largest of the day, a 21-inch, 8-pound tautog, and kept only four tog between 17 and 20 inches and one sea bass. Like I said, I love the Derby, and I’ll continue to take determined anglers out to try for bluefish, bonito and albies, but I am all in on tog fishing for the rest of this season. I have plenty of green crabs, and I’m not afraid to use them! Let’s go togging.”
Captain Elena and the Reeldeal Fishing Charters crew have had some good fishing lately. When a weather window allows it, the striped bass fishing off outer Cape Cod is still producing some great catches in and over the slot, mostly on vertical jigs. The bluefin tuna fishing has been challenging, with above-average fishing one day and then limited life the next. Trolling green machines worked well until the weed came in, so jigging and live-bait fishing have been the most viable options recently. With a decent forecast for the long weekend coming up, be sure to check out our availability to get in one more fishing trip.
Noah from Riverview Bait and Tackle in Yarmouth filled us in on the action in his neck of the woods. While sea bass and fluke have largely vacated Nantucket Sound, Riverview’s staff and dedicated off-season customers have found that tog have taken their place! Both the Harwich and Yarmouth tire reefs are holding an abundance of smaller tog; bigger specimens have been harder to come by. Anglers dialed in on the bite say that the easiest way to cull through the shorts is to use the lightest jig or rig possible to hold bottom. We are trying our best to have green crabs in stock, but would still recommend customers call in advance before stopping by bucket-in-hand.
On the striper front, boat and beach anglers alike have been hammering schoolie- to slot-sized bass, day and night, in Cape Cod Bay. These fall-run bass are finickier than usual. Smaller presentations like Fish Snax plastics and repurposed epoxy jigs from this season’s underwhelming albie run are by far the best presentations if you find fish blitzing on silversides. Funny fish have been hard to come by after the last storm, but we are still holding out hope that a few pods of bonito or albies will make their way through Nantucket Sound!
Amy from Sportsport Bait and Tackle in Hyannis tells us that the southside beaches and bays are covered with snapper blues. If you can get under them with a heavier Kastmaster, there are some larger cocktail blues to be had, in the 7-pound range. Some boats have found schoolie bass on topwaters in the same bays, with anglers boating fish all the way to 40 inches that are willing to slurp baits off the surface. The larger fish are certainly fewer and farther between, but they are out there. If cocktail and snapper blues don’t get your engine revved up, head to Monomoy, where anglers are getting into some blues well into the 10- to 15-pound class. A 10-pound blue that gets hooked in those rips would put up a hell of a fight, especially in the colder water. In the bay, the shore fishing has picked up, and surf fishermen are coming tight from Sandy Neck to Seaside on eels, topwater and SP Minnows. Sportsport is stocked up on crabs, and while anglers have found plenty of numbers, finding keepers has proven to be a challenge.
- Want to get in on the bite? Find an OTW-approved Charter Fishing Captain in Cape Cod
AJ, from Redtop Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay, reports that fishing hasn’t been as action-packed as the last two weeks. Things have really calmed down in the aftermath of the big blow a few weeks back. There are still slots and bonito cruising around the ditch, and guys have done well when focusing on timing and tides. With the sea bass fishery open this fall and tog fishing heating up, Redtop is stocked to the brim with bottom gear, crabs, jigs, sinkers—whatever you need to trick something tasty into biting your line. Head to Redtop to gear up. If you’re like me and need some fast action to hold you over until your next blitz, hit the trout pond, most of which have been freshly stocked.
The crew at Eastmans Sport & Tackle in Falmouth echoed Amy’s tune—the southside is covered with snapper blues. The Sound, back bays and beaches have been overrun with bite-size blues. Local tog fishermen have been doing well on jetties and nearshore structure, so swing into Eastmans to load up on crabs—but don’t wait, they’ve been going fast.
Best Bets for the Weekend
The fall brings Cape anglers a smorgasbord of bait and gamefish to chase down. I’ll likely spend the next few mornings up at first light, chasing albies from shore. I can’t count how many times this year I’ve watched them blitz just out of range. I’m hoping some fall weather blows them into my casting radius. My nights will be spent chasing one last big bass of the season. I’ll be fishing mostly eels, big plastics and glides, slowly transitioning to almost exclusively eels as the season wanes. For family fun, grab some spoons and nightcrawlers to trick a few trout, or tie on small topwater baits in the back bays to nab a few schoolies. It’s not just the striped bass that put the feedbag on this time of year—smallmouth and largemouth bass also start to cruise the shallows in search of some high-quality meals. Can’t go wrong with a small jig hopped along some structure to trick a few bass. Saturday looks like the better boating day this weekend, so if you’re headed out, pack a variety of rods and rigs. With so much action this time of year, it’s a great chance to get in on an inshore slam if you haven’t already. Blitzing bass, bones and albies are all patrolling the Cape, and there are keeper tog and sea bass around to fill the cooler. The fall run is what you make it, so get out there, fish hard and savor some of the best fishing of the year.