A Fishing Calendar for Cape Cod [Below]
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Here's an Overview:
Saltwater
Best fishing for Stripers is always a combination
of the best: light, tide, feeding pattern and wind. That means, I'd usually
guide for the first five hours of light, or from an hour before sunrise
to four hours after. Best scenario would be a falling tide through this
period and a moon tide at that. If the wind is down or the Sand Eels are
inside Pleasant Bay, then the fishing is nearly a sure thing. Of course,
this strategy varies with the tide, wind and recent feeding patterns but
in these conditions, the fish are "usually" holding in about half
of the two dozen best locations in the Bay.
When fishing stripers on the ocean, the same patterns
continue but it is necessary to add: water temperature, seasonal forage,
depth and sometimes fishing pressure.
Other fish call for other strategies and different
locales (Pleasant Bay, Atlantic Ocean, Nantucket Sound, Stage Harbor, Monomoy
Flats, Pollock Rip, Nauset Inlet), a necessary adaptation to be consistently
successful. This is my job, of course as the guide, to know the area and
the seasonal patterns and then take fisherman to the fish in the most successful
manner and to a great degree, according to how they want to fish too!
Freshwater Gamefish
Good timing for freshwater fishing is much more
species specific than on the salt. While morning can be best for some fish,
in the absence of a tidal flow affecting holding areas, structure becomes
nearly as important as timing. Your fishing method also affects the timing
of a successful fishing outing. For instance, using a flyrod under the midday
sun for Largemouths can be very effective in the same places that spinning
gear would fail miserably. (Why do you think fly gear isn't allowed on the
Bass Tournament circuit? Answer: too successful!) I fish evenings as often
as I do mornings, to be successful. The type of fish I'm after and the type
of gear I'm using makes the determination of when and for how long. A four
hour trip is enough to catch a big meal or enjoy some catch and release.
The Charts below provide a general overview of
the seasonal pattern of local gamefish. The timing can vary by almost a
month due to water temperature, which in turn is influenced by our maritime
weather. A few details may help you view these charts with a critical eye.
Stripers can be caught year-round in shallow saltwater estuaries, including
Boston Harbor. Bluefish are nine years past their big blitz and are far
fewer but bigger. Bonito and Fluke require specialized approaches due to
their "offshore" habitat and sometimes specialized feeding patterns.
Scup, Sea Bass and Tautog are bottom feeders, the biggest are "offshore".
Fishing
Calendar
| Saltwater |
Stripers |
Bluefish |
Bonito/Albie |
Fluke |
Scup/Tautog |
| April |
Schoolies(late) |
|
|
|
First Scup |
| May |
All Ages |
Up/Mid Cape |
|
|
Near Shore |
| June |
Best |
In the Bays |
Up Cape / Is.s |
Season Opens |
Offshore |
| July |
Best |
On the Ocean |
Sound/Ocean |
Best |
Offshore |
| August |
Best |
On the Ocean |
Best |
Best |
Offshore |
| September |
Biggest Fish |
On the Ocean |
Best/Migration |
Migration |
Offshore |
| October |
Migration Mix |
Last Fish |
|
|
Near Shore |
| November |
Last Fish(late) |
|
|
|
|
| Freshwater |
Largemouth |
Smallmouth |
Trout |
Perch |
Sunfish |
| March |
|
|
Stocking |
Spawning Shallow |
|
| April |
Shallows |
Coming Upslope |
Full Up |
Spawning Shallow |
Shallows |
| May |
Spawn Starts |
Spawning |
Spread out |
Post Spawn |
Spawn Starts |
| June |
Spawning |
Structure |
Deep |
Deeper |
Spawning |
| July |
Nights Best |
Structure |
Deep |
Deeper |
Big are Deep |
| August |
Nights Best |
Structure |
Deep |
Deeper |
Big are Deep |
| September |
Biggest Fish |
Structure |
Deep |
Deeper |
Big are Deep |
| October |
Turn Over |
Moving Deeper |
Restocking |
Turn Over |
Turn Over |
| November |
Slowdown |
|
Sea Runs |
Spread Out |
Slowdown |
Please. Fish carefully, and release all undersized fish as soon as possible.
We all share the same resources, which means we all depend upon each other
for our future. And good luck! If you need more info, try some of the sites
in colors below. . .
At Cape Cod
Outdoors, I have more than a hundred pages of information dedicated
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seasonal information, urls to other sites, instruction and articles. Capt.
Mike |
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