Cape Cod Fishing Report and Forecast

The only thing more frustrating than not being able to find fish, is finding fish that are not willing to bite. It seems that this year, more than ever, the bass in Cape Cod Bay have offered only short windows in which they are aggressive, and eager to chomp on an offering.

On numerous occasions this past week we found piles of bass, stacked up in deep water, that were unwilling to bite. Due to phospherence in the water, we could actually see these bass cruising around 15-20 feet below the hull of the boat. Needless to say, the sonar screen was stuffed with the orange arches and blotches which indicate big striped bass.

As if someone flicked a light switch, these bass would begin feeding, and once again shut it down based on factors only known to them.  Evenings and mornings seemed most productive this week, with the middle of the night and the middle of the day the most difficult.

An onshore breeze Wednesday night and Wednesday morning really turned on the bass fishing in certain inshore haunts around the Bay.  Fish were found relatively close to shore, and were willing to chew throughout the afternoon. These opportunities become more common as summer wanes into fall. Lets hope that the next big onshore blow results in similar catches.

To the south of Cape Cod, rumors of some seriously big fish are beginning to filter in. A potential world record, 81 plus pound striper was supposedly taken in Connecticut. Another near 80 pound bass was caught in late June by an angler fishing off Rhode Island. 

Odds are that these two monstrous bass are not the only 80 pound stripers swimming in New England waters at the moment. Lets cross our fingers that this impressive biomass of stripers wanders into the waters off Barnstable sometime over the next two months.

Until that happens, we still have plenty of beautiful 20-40 pound stripers around to keep us occupied. The bluefish have also been thick off Sandy Neck and in the usual Nantucket and Vineyard Sound hot-spots. 

Keep in mind that if there are dense concentrations of large bluefish in Cape Cod Bay, then giant bluefin tuna should not be too far behind.  If you are heading out on the water this week, keep your eyes peeled for enormous splashes, and fish the size of small automobiles propelling themselves from water. 

Just witnessing a 500 plus pound tuna chasing a bluefish on the surface is an experience that will never be forgotten. 

What Worked this Past Week

Hitting the water at the right time proved very important this past week. Mornings and evenings seemed most productive. 

Bass of all sizes moved in close to the beach during the 5am-10am time frame. Fortunately these fish were willing to bite tubes dredged along the bottom. Orange, red and even black tubes from 18-36 inches caught fish.

Bass are very easy to mark when they hold in shallower water, less than 35 feet. Cruising down the beach at a high rate of speed can reveal an area holding bass, not yet found by the fleet. If you see a cluster of boats in one spot, by all means throw your lines in the water and give it a shot. However, if nothing seems to be happening, do not be afraid to venture out on your own.

Often times the bass are found just a small distance from the fleet, and it's the skipper who is not afraid to drift away from the fleet, who ends up cashing in on some nice catches.

Looking Forward to Next Week

Keep an eye peeled for the next batch of northerly winds predicted to blow over the Bay. Unfortunately a southwest breeze is expected throughout this weekend. However the next hard onshore wind could once again light up the fishing in our neck of the woods.

Sometime around this time of year, reports come in about a helpless angler who watched his wire line setup get spooled by a bluefin tuna.  Tuna occasionally take bunker spoons intended for large bass. When this happens the fisherman is almost always spooled, and left breathless wondering what just happened.

I am yet to hear any of these stories, but with the amount of big bluefish around, I would not be surprised if "Charlie" made his prescense known to the Cape Cod Bay fishing fleet. Last year tuna sightings were reported around the Parking Lot, and the Fingers throughout August and into September and October.

The canal has had a steady pick of bass this past week, as tinker mackerel continue to enter the land cut during the early morning.  If more tinkers and other large baitfish filter into the Bay, it could attract more stripers and blues into the area. In years past squid, mackerel, and butterfish all showed up in the Bay during the middle of August-producing exceptional fishing.

As always tight lines and catch 'em up!

For more reports and articles please visit My Fishing Cape Cod.