Shark!

There's a lot happening on the water right now.  The striped bass bite last week in Cape Cod Bay was the best it's been all year.  Many of the bays and estuaries on the southside are chock full of baby menhaden, bluefish and even some bonito and false albacore.  There are some tuna kicking around Stellwagen Bank and Cape Cod bay, although the tuna action as of late has not been stellar.

Most notably, over the past few weeks a decent shark bite has developed on Stellwagen Bank, and in the deeper areas of Cape Cod Bay.  A few mako sharks, which look like smaller versions of great whites, have been caught by giant tuna anglers.  Blue sharks have also been part of the mix.  Some of these sharks have been nothing short of massive.

We landed a blue shark Thursday morning that we estimated to be around 10 feet in length. A blue shark of this size weighs more than 400 pounds.  Now that is a big shark!

The tuna bite has been rather slow, for everyone except the most talented of tuna fishermen.  Last October an incredible tuna bite developed off Stellwagen's southwest corner, inside Cape Cod Bay.  Despite awful weather, determined tuna anglers caught many big fish, with some boats catching multiple giant tuna each trip.

Maybe this weekend's brisk north winds will bring the big tuna back to Cape Cod.  For now, there are enough enormous sharks around to keep everyone occupied.

When the tuna bite does turn, live bluefish as well as live pogies will be a hot commodity item amongst the tuna fleet.  Stocking up on these precious live baits now can increase the chances that  your crew will hook a giant tuna when things get cranking.

For bluefish, Barnstable's southside has been jam packed with snapper and juvenile bluefish.  Lewis Bay and the Hyannis Marina has been loaded with baby pogies and bluefish for the past couple weeks.  There's also been reports of bonito just outside Lewis Bay.

Finding adult pogies is often a bit more difficult, however it can be done if you put your time in.  Many of the harbors and bays on Cape Cod are home to these filter feeders.  Pogies are most efficiently caught using either a cast net or gill net.  We've recently had success finding and netting pogies along harbor channels, in 12-18 feet of water.  If you are serious about catching pogies, then try heading out after dark.

The bass bite in Cape Cod Bay has been stellar during and after an onshore wind.  This could be because an onshore breeze pushes the foundation of the marine ecosystem (phytoplankton and zooplankton) up against Cape Cod's north facing beaches.  The abundance of plankton then attracts small baitfish, which in turn attract larger bait, which then rings the dinner bell for big striped bass and bluefish.

We may never know exactly why an onshore breeze has such a positive impact on striped bass fishing in this area.  One thing is for sure though, when the wind comes from the north, it's time to drop everything and go fishing.

Scorton Ledge, as usual, had a lot of big bass last week before the wind turned southwest.  Even larger schools of big fish could be found in tight to the beachfront.  Surfcasting in this area typically improves dramatically when the wind blows from the north.

If you plan on fishing from the beach, one of the easiest and most effective methods is to fish chunk bait on the bottom.  More intrepid anglers, casting live eels and plugs off Sandy Neck, did extremely well during September of 2010.  Odds are that the same bite will take place again this season, whenever the wind blows onshore.

If we take a look at this weekend's weather, we'll quickly notice that this scenario is unfolding as you read this article.  Yesterday the wind blew hard from northwest, which is exactly what happened before last week's epic striped bass bite.  I'd imagine that there will be some nice fish caught this weekend inside Cape Cod Bay.  Folks fishing the beachfront, and the north facing creeks, will also have a fantastic chance at bagging a big bass.

So keeping all this mind, good luck fishing this weekend!  There are some very big bass, tuna, bluefish and sharks to be caught.  Keep in mind that in just over a month, most of these fish will have departed south for warmer water.  Now is the time to catch them up!

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