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Chatham has really exploded in the last week. There are lots of Bass up to 25" and hints but no confirmations of a few larger fish. From Red River Beach in the west to Hardings and up into Stage Harbor and Oyster River, then around the corner and up into Pleasant Bay the fishing is very good. Small spoons, 1/2 to 1 0z., jigs and swimmers are all producing lots of hits. As you would expect, the fly fishing is wonderful, time to tie on the chartreuse clouser for another year! Capt. Michael Eichenseer |
Kildee Hill Bait & Tackle
on Rt. 28 in Harwich |
In Harwich, Larry Nickerson reports that they are taking keeper sized stripers at the mouth of Herring River on chunk bait and a few more at the end of Neel Rd. (the jetty there) on bait too. Of course, there are thousands of schoolie sized fish at Red River Beach and they are hitting good on poppers and even Kastmasters. That ought to suggest that they will hit just about everything. |
Powderhorn Outfitters
at 210 Barnstable Rd., Hyannis |
Around Barnstable & Hyannis, Andy at the Powderhorn says that the bottom fishing is pretty good right now for Tautog; one notable place is the rockpile off Craigville. Green crabs and, right now while their mouths are soft, sea worms are working well. The squid are in if you care to give 'em a try at night with the squid jigs all along the coast and in the bays like Lewis. right on their heels (tentacles?) are some keeper sized bass in the 30"+ size but lean as racers being caught from Poponesset to Great Island on cut bait, jigs and poppers. The only word on Blues (besides their obvious lateness) is that a few may have started to show on the Vineyard (I'll try to run this rumor down. . . Just found out! Check the Vineyard report below). |
Nelson's
at 44 Race Point Rd. |
Provincetown has had good numbers of schoolie stripers in for a couple of weeks now according to Emilio at his shop, Nelson's. They're catchin' 16" - 25" bass on spoons, jigs and sand eels (that's right, you can buy 'em this early) pretty good at Herring cove on the high tide and along the back beaches up to the Race. Don't bother with the Jetty yet, they're just not there. (The herring are running pretty good down there too, and you may want to try near the mouth of a herring run at night for bigger fish!) |
| Orleans | It's pretty quiet around Orleans with the exception of the boats headed for the shoals in the Bay for Cod; who are doing well. Only a few stripers up into town cove and not much consistency to the action at Nauset Inlet but the small fish that are there are hitting small jigs and plugs. Best action is still freshwater, with the smallmouth fishing really starting to pick up as the water warms and plenty of good trouting still around. |
| Wellfleet | Ed Metterville at the Black Duck Tackle shop in Wellfleet says that they've been catching schoolie sized stripers, 16" 18" along Leutenant Island and Mayo Beach for a couple of weeks now. Fishin's pretty good with catches of 40 fish or more in an outing. It's good to talk with Ed again this year and I'm sure we'll hear from Seth too later on. |
| Falmouth | Jim Young at Eastman's reports a continuation of the off and on but improving bass fishing of the last three weeks. They're only talking a few keepers yet (not confirmed) but there appear to be a good supply of the 16" to 25" fish hitting everything being thrown. Ground fishing is good out among the rocks and some nice runs of squid and big sand eels have come through Buzzards Bay, which should bring the mackerel and bigger fish along with them. |
| Barnstable Harbor | Capt. Todd Balicki of Nemesis Charters says that Barnstable Harbor has it's own rush of schoolie stripers running in the same size as a lot of the rest of the Cape, 16" - 24". If you're fly fishing make sure to try the olive/white clouser and if you spin instead, try the bucktail jigs with the chartreuse grub bodies or just stay with white or yellow if thats what you have. No squid in evidence yet but the Bay probably has is supply of tinker mackerel intact if you're thinkin' of what to match in bait for chunkin'. Good solid fishing in Barnstable Harbor and, of course, there's always Scorton Creek! |
Cape Cod Canal
Canal Bait & Tackle |
Bruce at Canal Bait & Tackle says that some runs of bigger Bass have finally come through the Canal and the herring baiters have taken some nice fish up to and a bit over 34" in just the last couple of days. These fish are coming from the area of the herring run and around the railroad tracks. Tautog are biting good, as is the Flounder fishing picking up, finally. and as if to confirm the arrival of the Bluefish, there have been more than one bite-off in the last few days on the Canal. |
| Martha's Vineyard | Coop out on the Vineyard says The Blues are into Gay Head and should be running strong in the next few days. He also confirms what I heard about a few of them being into Cotuit this last week. Some nice fat stripers are being taken now too, he weighed an 18 pounder the other day for a lucky fellow. In addition, the sea bass are in (he picked up a few while gathering mackerel from a big run yesterday and the squid are passing through too. |
| Freshwater Around Cape Cod | The freshwater fishing is switching now from the heavy trout stocking of March and April (there's still plenty of great fishing out there, check for stocked ponds at www.capecodoutdoors.com/Apr2399#troutlist.html ) and over to the smallmouth fishing that really heats up this month and leads into the largemouth fishing of late May and June. Lots of panfish fun right now as the water warms up through the forties and this is a great time of year to tap into a really big pickerel. Last chance before the keepers arrive! |
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