Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Report 4-25-2012

Big Browns Stocked
Keeper Stripers from all Corners of the Cape

Anglers on Cape Cod have it pretty rough right now. With so many different options, choosing which fish to target has become a very difficult process.

Starting with stripers, fish in the 28- to 32-inch range have been commonplace just about all over the Cape. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle said fish of that size have been caught in Buttermilk Bay and Buzzards Bay. Topwaters, like the new Skid Stik by Fishin Magician, have been working on the stripers. Southside action has been much more sporadic, however, with few keeper bass being caught in Vineyard and Nantucket sounds.
Chris at Bad Fish Outfitters reported some schoolie striper action along the Cape side of Buzzards Bay this week, along with some good numbers of baitfish.

Eastham has also had a run of keepers according to Dan at the Hook Up. Dan’s been fishing the Herring and Bass rivers and finding plenty of stripers in the 15- to 18-inch range, with the occasional very tiny fish of around 10 inches. These super small stripers seem to be in ample supply this season, a good sign for the future of the stock.

Striper fishing has been good in Wareham, in the rivers. Mike at M and D’s reported a wayward 45-incher that hit a lure intended for schoolie stripers. Most of the fish have been small, however.

While most of the bass are keyed in on the herring running in the Canal, anglers are picking a few on lures. Barry at Red Top Sporting Goods reported a 20-pounder taken around the Herring Run this week. Some more good stripers are moving up the Wareham Rivers and giving schoolie anglers quite the surprise.

Some other nice stripers have been reported in Barnstable Harbor according to Roy at Riverview Bait and Tackle in South Yarmouth. In addition to some 40-inch fish, schoolies in the 22- to 26-inch range are present in good numbers.

Goose Hummock reported more keepers along Cape Cod Bay, hitting poppers, soft-plastic jigs and swimming plugs.

Staying with saltwater, togging has been pretty good. Christian at Falmouth Bait and Tackle reported a pair of 11-pounders caught this week. Mike at M and D’s also said the blackfish bite has been good in Buzzards Bay when the wind allows the boaters to get out.

Squid fishing is very good from Hyannis to Chatham said Dan at the Hook Up, but slower to start in Falmouth and Woods Hole according to Christian at Falmouth. Roy at Riverview Bait and Tackle said the arrival of the schoolies has pushed some of the squid back to deeper water, but anglers are still getting up to a half-bucket full of calamari for their nighttime jigging efforts.

A few small blues were reported at South Cape Beach. This may not be news, since the first bluefish reports cropped up around St. Patrick’s Day, but these may be the first confirmed bluefish to arrive on the Cape this year. Bluefishing should improve quickly with the squid here and the water warming up nicely. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if we were into full-out bluefish blitzes by the time I’m writing next week’s forecast.

Freshwater fishing continues to be good. Barry at Red Top said some big brown trout were stocked into a few ponds this week. Trout fishing in Baker’s Pond was excellent this week according to Dan at the Hook Up who caught a mixed bag of tigers, browns and rainbows during the evening there. Smallmouths are starting to make their spawning beds according to Roy at Riverview, and the largemouths have too. Barry at Red Top reported that lizard baits have been flying off the shelves this week. The lizards supposedly represent the salamanders that eat bass eggs and therefore draw strikes from nest-guarding largemouths.

Cape Cod and Buzzards Bay Fishing Forecast

Take your pick. Trout fishing won’t last much longer, so it might be wise to carve out a little time to target those big browns that just got stocked. Stripers are all over, but for the best odds of a keeper, the Cape Cod Bay side seems to be the spot, including Barnstable Harbor and some of the other harbor entrances in the bay. The Canal is giving up fish reluctantly, as they stripers have blinders on where they only want herring. Persistence will pay off, however, so if you fish the Canal this weekend, keep casting – eventually a fish will take a swipe at your plug.

Head to Chatham for squid and Vineyard Sound or Buzzards Bay for blackfish. It’s worth trying for blues at South Cape or Cotuit, and any freshwater pond with bass is worth at least as cast or two this weekend.