2011 Saltwater Fishing Preview: Best Places To Catch

Spring is one of the most exciting seasons of the year for Barnstable saltwater fishermen. Firing that first cast into the salt is our way of kissing the winter goodbye.

Spring will be here in less than 30 days, which means now is the time to shake off the cobwebs by preparing gear, learning more about our town’s springtime hotspots and brushing up on some productive techniques.

The first thing to consider at this time of the year is the state of an angler’s equipment. Servicing reels can be a tedious job, but it is necessary-especially for saltwater anglers.

Salt, sand and big fish from last year may render reels useless unless they are given proper TLC. Here in town, Powderhorn Outfitters on Barnstable Road will repair, clean and lubricate fishing reels for a reasonable price. 

“As soon as you can get them in,” is what Andy Little from Powderhorn Outfitters recommends to his customers. 

Having reels serviced during February and March is a smart decision, as many Cape bait and tackle shops become overwhelmed with reel repairs during April and May.

It can be difficult to avoid cabin fever and often Cape fishermen become restless during February. Waiting can be an arduous task. However, spring will bring relief, in the form of a plethora of fishing opportunities. We are fortunate to live in a town that offers so many productive places to wet a line.

Best Spots & What to Use

Undoubtedly the most popular fish to catch this spring will be the striped bass. To say their northerly migration is eagerly awaited would be an understatement. 

Bass will first arrive in Nantucket Sound during late April. According to Little, some of the best spots to catch an early season schoolie will be the sound facing estuaries, coves and beaches. 

“It will start on the south side beaches earliest, Cotuit, Popponesset, Osterville, you’ll find the fish there a few weeks before finding them in places like Barnstable harbor,” explained Little.

According to Little, light tackle rods and reels armed with soft plastics like Ron-Z’s and Got Stryper Baits will be the go-to setups.

Larger bass will begin to feed on squid and herring in the sound a couple weeks after their smaller brethren arrive. Hopefully the moratorium on river herring will result in vast amounts of the silvery fish returning to the Cape’s herring runs this spring. Bluefish, of course, will waste no time joining the ensuing feeding frenzies.

To the north, Cape Cod Bay will be teeming with thousands of reproducing mackerel starting in early May. Macks make fantastic striper bait and are surprisingly good table fare. To catch them, jig sabiki rigs in 50 to 60 feet of water. The action can be fast and furious and it should not take long to put a dozen or more of the colorful speedsters in the live-well to later use for bass fishing.

May is also prime-time for fishing Barnstable Harbor. The abundance of mackerel and sand eels will coax large schools of migrating striped bass into the harbor, where they will take up residence for a tide or two. 

Last year, fishing an ebb tide at dawn or dusk put many keeper size bass in the boat for anglers drifting live mackerel in the harbor’s main channel. During low water, bass would often stack up like cordwood in the deeper channels between sandbars.  

This May’s ebb tides, occurring around dawn and dusk, will happen during the first and third weeks of the month. 

Locating quality fish during the spring can be much easier than during the heat of summer, when the schools relocate to the deeper, more expansive waters off Sandy Neck.

Light tackle and fly rod fishermen will also have ample opportunity to sight cast to stripers as they cruise over the harbor’s tidal flats. With an incoming tide, it will not be uncommon to find bass in just a foot or two of water as they prey on sand eels in the harbor’s tidal pools. The flats will be an ideal environment for the angler choosing to fish from a skiff or a kayak.   

This spring will also present ample opportunities for anglers seeking bluefish, fluke, sea bass, tautog and scup. All of these fish can be caught from Barnstable’s southern facing beaches during the spring, with most of the largest catches coming from the boating crowd. 

Recreational fluke season will begin on May 22nd, followed by the opening of the scup season on May 24. 

Aside from phenomenal fishing, Barnstable harbor will provide fishermen with a chance to experience one of the best springtime sunrises and sunsets the Cape has to offer. On a clear day the sun will illuminate the morning and evening skyline with an impressive mix of pink, red, and orange. 

The harbor’s tidal pools and sandbars will reflect the colors, enveloping the fisherman, kayaker, or boater in an almost surreal environment.  It may just be the Cape’s way of telling us that winter is finally over and warmer, friendlier days are on the way.

With so much to look forward to, who could blame us fishermen for tinkering with our gear, developing early season strategies and dreaming of the warmer days ahead?  Have no worries, it is now only a matter of days until bent rods and screaming drags replace snow shovels and snow blowers.