Cape Cod &

the Islands

October 3rd, 2003

Truly False Albacore Season

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Don't forget to send me your own reports, and until next week...

Tight Lines!

Dave Churbuck

Buzzards Bay

Captain Joe LeClair reports:

"Fly fishing and light tackle for Bluefin Tuna, False Albacore, Bluefish, and Striped Bass has been excellent in the past week. I have had the opportunity to fish with some great anglers interested in the challenge of Bluefin Tuna on the fly and light tackle. We were lucky again to land some fish in the
70-80 lbs. class on three out of five days this week. I have also been fishing Buzzards Bay for all the rest of the fish and having a great time with them. The Tuna have been feeding on Baby Bunker and have now moved over to Tinker Mackeral and Half Beaks. The Albies have been hording schools of peanut bunker into the coves along the shoreline in the bay and feasting on them."

Captain Bob Paccia reports:

"

Although I hate the fact that the summer is over, I’m at the same time excited that the fall migration is in full swing. Buzzards Bay is teaming with massive schools of baby bunker, juvenile alewives and blueback herring, silversides, sand eels and butterfish. Migration-hungry stripers, bluefish and yes, even false albacore have entered stage right to take advantage of this smorgasbord of bait being offered. Clouds of excited terns and gulls hover over the terrified bait just waiting their chance to grab a free meal. Huge flocks of cormorants work the edges of the bay corralling schools of panicked baitfish into the shoreline. Cool winds of fall combine with the lowering angle of the sun help to drain the chlorophyll from the leaves along the shoreline trees and create a magnificent multicolored backdrop of fall foliage to make the picture perfect. Now, is our special time on the water.

This is the time of year when large stripers, I mean really big stripers, (you know, 30# to 45+#) (that’s pound not inches) tend to shed their normally shy and extra careful eating habits and become a bit more reckless in their need to put on some extra weight. They will need this added body mass to get them through the long migration journey south. They frequently visit the shallows in broad daylight in hot pursuit of frenzied baitfish. Shorelines, shallow bays, flats and waters that normally hold only small schoolies now become the scenes of major blitzes. Now is the time when the shorebound angler has nearly as good a chance to get into some truly quality fishing as their on-board brethren.

This season passes very quickly, so don’t miss an opportunity to get on or near the water. We’ll be shoveling snow before you know it and just dreaming about catching fish. Remember too, you don’t have to be on the water at dawn or after dusk at this time of year to find great action. Migrating fish have to feed heavily and explosive blitzes can take place at any time of the day. If you find a large concentration of bait, stay close because you are certainly not the only one who has noticed it. Sooner or later the predators will take advantage of this food supply. Try to match the size shape and color of the baitfish with your fly selection. Try to present your offering either to the side or well beneath the bait school. Sometimes too, dead drifting the fly will get a strike when all other strip-styles fail. Big fish got that way by not over-exerting themselves to get their meals. Usually they’ll hang around just below or to the side of the bait school and pick-off the stragglers.

A few words of caution when fishing during this fall season:

ü      Give someone (who cares about you) an accurate “float plan” (you can get a good float plan form on-line) giving point of departure, where you plan to fish, when you are supposed to return, your cell phone number, you do take your cell phone don’t you? (Make sure it’s well charged and in a location that will allow you to hear it).

ü      Boat traffic will be lighter as only us hard-asses will be out there in the cold. That’s a good thing, unless you’re looking for someone to give you a hand in case of an emergency.

ü      Be sure that you are wearing your PFD (personal floatation device) at all times. The water is starting to get colder and if you’re knocked overboard shock and hyperthermia can cost you your life. This is especially true when help isn’t close at hand.

ü      Make sure that you have plenty of gas, taking into consideration winds and currents.

ü      Bring extra clothes including windbreakers, foul weather gear and gloves (cold hands quickly lose their grip and can make it impossible to properly grab a line or even get back into your boat if you fall overboard.

ü      Make sure that you have a VHF radio in good working order on board.

So, be extra careful, but get out there and give’m hell. We’ll see you on the water. Give us a wave."

Falmouth & the Elizabeths

Our Video Forum Moderator, Slater, filed a great report from Cuttyhunk:
"The Cuttyhunk Rod & Gun Club (CRGC) and the Connecticut Surfcasters Association (CSA) held its 7th Annual 24-hour shore tournment this weekend. Expectations were high with lots of shore action on Thursday night, the night before the tournament. Unfortunately, things cooled off on Friday and Saturday leaving many experienced surf fisherman empty-handed with only sore bodies and weary minds to show for their efforts. To easy the pain and recognize the succesful fisherman, we held the annual cook-out awards ceremony at the 25th hour.

Some lucky (and hard working) fisherman did have success including a detachment from the CSA that happened across a school of good sized bass at the bottom of the tide from 11pm to 1am at the far southwestern tip of the island producing the tourney's biggest bass. They deserved it for the long trek they took to and from this favorite spot and the fishing wasn't easy in the rocks under a new moon and thick fog. An independent entrant, a regular on another site, landed the largest bass in the bait division on an eel around 9pm friday. And I landed the largest (but modest) bass on a fly around 10pm friday night - my only fish for the 24 hours - at least 12 of which were spent fishing. Unfortunately, no memorable video to share like last year but great memories for sure. The final results:

Bass-Lure: 38" - George Baldwin, CSA
Bass-Bait: 37" - Tony Machado, New Bedford
Bass-Fly: 27.5" - Slater Anderson, CRGC

Other things of note: a kayaker caught a 50", 40# striper midday friday trolling a tube and worm. The boats had good action all weekend. The tides on Saturday and Sunday were huge causing some weed and dirty water problems for the shore fisherman. Water was still warm at 65 degrees on Friday."

Congratulations on hooking the fly prize Slater!

Kayak Forum regular, JoeV, was part of the kayak fleet, and posted what I think is one of the best reports of the season: Read it here in its full glory.

The Cape Cod Canal

Bill Downing writes:

"Pretty quiet ending to the month last night. A couple of schoolies in 3 hours of the early east tide. Plenty of bait around though.

"Last year at this time, all hell broke loose in the Canal for about a week or so (check the archives), with many mid-30s to high 40-inch fish taken. Will we see something like that this fall? My guess is yes, but later than last year."

That other peripetetic ditch angler, BobG, reported a different story:
"Life is almost bearable again. Hit the canal at 4am, and was into bass immediately. Out far, down deep, big plastic. All cookie cutters, 27-28". But I'm not complaining. The way my fishing has been of late, these are more than welcome. "

"The action tapered off as soon as the sun broke the eastern horizon. Did some recon on the way home, and there was plently of suface action. Small bass were dimpling the surface chasing juvi herring from half-way-gate---->west. As has been the case for the past 35 years, these bass are next to impossible to catch. However, not all the bass were small. Every 10 minutes of so, a big girl would erupt chasing some obviously larger bait."

Glad your hand is healing and you're on the water again Bob.

Anglin4bass writes:

"Hit the Canal this morning @ 04:00 there was no wind and no nobody.I went to a god spot one that has been very kind all season.I fished it with no kuck for an hour,I packed it in and went further down current.Put on a new fresh eel and boom first cast long drift,just about ready for the retreive then Boom a nice 42" fatty.
Awesome things are starting to make my Monday a little bit better
Grabed another new eel tossed-em out nothing for about 20 min.then cast it out & as soon as it hit the water slap!line started to peel and I could here the fish doin cartwheels on the surface.I pulled him in and it was 35".
Im thinking Wow I am sure as hell glad I moved.So I look @ my watch and figured ok a couple more cast's,well new eel and a couple of more cast nice long drift & one more for the books a 40"."

The South Side

Smokinjoe writes:

"Yesterday a lot of guys were taking blues off Popponesset Beach. It was very foggy, so they seemed to stay close inshore all day.

"One guy next to me was using a blue pencil popper. He was killing em. I had a few hits but no hook up. Then switched out the wire leader for some 30 lb mono and first cast, fish on"

Shorebound wrote early in the week:

"Picked up 5 eels and headed to nobska 9pm wind straight in fished an hour. Saw some small splashes and decide to move when fog rolled in and the horn began to sound.Next stop the opening at Trunk river. Nothing wind just slightly better.Last stop down at Menhaunt outside nada inside Bourne's pond flat water and frisky fish.First fish spits the eel as I bring him on the rocks.Try to grab him and get him in a cradle hold.I slip on rip-rap-ankle breaker stones and watch him head back in to where he came.Didn't get a chance to measure but he was probably a keeper. Next hook up must have been a good fish by the way he peeled line off and after 15-20 yards of hard pulling spit the bit .A few more teases than I finally land my first keeper 28" on the button. Autopsy revealed a steady diet of crabs."

Captain Steve Moore, aka Slamdance, emailed:

"The albies are pretty thick off the southside. There are also still quite a few spanish mackerel and the bass are starting to move in. Looks like the tuna have either left the Bay or moved deep. Hopefully we'll get another slug of those fish that have been off the coast of Southern Maine."

Bob Popeo emailed earlier in the week:

"Finally boated an albie, though it was a bittersweet accomplishment.
 
"Left Tim's Cove at 8:30 a.m. in pretty thick fog.  Turns out the tide site I used was way off - high tide was predicted to be 7:00 a.m., but it looked dead low as we headed out.  Got outside the Cotuit Cut and meandered towards Wianno.  It was a little bumpy, but very manageable.
 
"Fog started to burn off and we spotted some breaking schools.  I have been just keeping the boat parallel to the beach between Sea View Avenue and the Wianno Club at the depth contour.  Picked up a few blues and a couple of scup on Yozuri Hydro Metals and Deadly Dicks.  I tossed the popper a few times into the blues hoping to get them closer to the boat to give the guys better shots.  It seemed you needed to cast right into them - so much bait they have no need to chase anything.  I saw a few suspicious busts and the fish were extremely picky at times, but we had not confirmed albie sightings for the first part of the morning.
 
"One of the guys was feeling a little queasy (could have been the cigar), so we headed into West Bay to get out of the chop and wait for the tide to turn.  Had a few sodas and the nausea seemed to pass.  When we got back outside the jetties, there were fish working right on the backside of Dead Neck.  They seemed to be staying up and working lazily on the bait.  I pulled up to a school and let the guys flail away with the metals.  No hook ups, so I finally pulled the popper out and tossed it right into some breaking fish.  Immediate hook up, and then the drag started to sing.  This was on a big Shimano Baitrunner and a heavy Fin Nor rod.  Seemed a little too lively to be a blue.
 
"Worked him pretty hard to the boat.  Sure enough, my first albie of '03 (actually, my first ever).  After numerous attempts over a couple of different seasons, painstaking hours at the vise, multiple casts right into breaking fish, I finally hook an albie on a 3/8 ounce Yozuri Hydro Tiger popper (green mackerel, if anyone wants to know what the magic lure is!).
 
"I must have cast the popper right into its path as it was crashing the bunker.  Basically dumb luck, or really good spin casting.
 
"I am determined to get one on the fly before the season ends."

Albies have been reported all along the southside. A good bite was on off of the Popponnesset Tent last weekend. Boats have been working the Wianno Cut on the morning outgoing tide.

I fished twice this past week, from Cotuit towards Hyannisport, and didn't see a splash. Cotuit Bay is jumping with bait and splashes that look suspiciously like schoolies.

Martha's Vineyard

Captain Leslie Smith reports:

"With the terrific weather of this past week, it's hard to complain about the fishing.  Actually fishing has been pretty good around the island and some big fish have come in.  Albies are finally starting to do their thing, with two thirteen pounders coming to the weigh in.  Hot spots have been around West Chop, Tashmoo, Eel Pond flats, as well as down at the Hooter and areas just south of Muskegat.  Blues are still at the Hooter as well as some nice bass mixed in.  Bonito are getting tough to come by with the only area producing on the troll being the Hooter.  I've spent a good part of the week on the south side of Nantucket, fishing the Bar for albies and those top water blues off the airport."

Vineyard Fisher reported:
"Just returned from five days of non-stop fishing on the Vineyard, from last Friday through Tuesday of this week. The story was the same all over the Vineyard for most of the trip: the Albies and Bones would show in all the usual haunts, but they wouldn't take anything (flies or lures). Then on Monday, the wind turned northwest, the temperature dropped, and the fish finally began to hit. Menemsha exploded on Monday, and then again on Tuesday, with pods of Albies hitting inside the channel and on both sides of the jetties. There were even some Spanish mixed in - green flashes, a hit, and then the line would go limp with another lost lure.

"The best time of day was sunrise through late morning on the incoming tide. The wind was from the northwest when I was there, pushing bait toward the outside of the west jetty, but both jetties were productive."

Brushfly reported on his trip to the island last weekend:
"On the fly in the Vinyard from Thursday till Monday.
Fished about seven hours a day from shore. Only one schoolie to show for the effort. Sunday zero fly caught fish made the boards at the Derby. Great event, nice people and very well organized. Two quick shots at Albies off Menemsha on two mornings. This is where I'd be if looking for Albs. Popped one off on a white bonito bandit.
"Bass crashing Tashmoo at first light flood right on the rocks, didn't except a thing, gulping peanuts by the mouthfulll Picky bass both tides at Big Bridge. Dead at Edgartown and Chappy Point. Hope it picks up for the rest of the fisherman I saw streaming off the ferry."

Nantucket

Bill Pew at Fishers reports:

"Great fishing on the rock. Piles of false albacore, particularly at Great Point and at the West End, with a modicum of Spanish Mackerel still around, and some nice sized stripers showing both at Great Point and the South Shore. Not a lot, but those they are catching are of reasonable dimensions. It is really, compared to last week (which stunk), like night and day.

"The tides were extreme this week. On Monday the guys fishing at Great Point at the top of the tide couldn't get back because rthere was water over the Galls. I've had guys claimt hey caught eight false albacore in one sessions from the surf. "

ACKFISH wrote earlier this week:
"albies are getting better everyday, though still not overwhelming in number. fishing as a whole remains mediocre, with few bass, bluefishing is decent but nothing more, yet. the passage of a big cold front tonight might open up the migration type feeding...we hope."

Chris Wolfington emailed:

"I was out at Nantucket Saturday morning, 9/27, from 7:30 am to 12:00 pm.

"At Great Point, we caught a half dozen 10 lb blues, about one every ten minutes, trolling black and silver Yozuris.  A few hits when we stopped to cast Atoms poppers, but not much surface action.

"Went searching for fish on the surface to Bass Rip and around Sankaty. Nothing on the surface anywhere, but we caught another 5-6 10 lb blues jigging slug -gos off the bottom."

The Outer Beaches, Chatham & Monomoy

Not much noise being made from the Great Backside. One poster says the fish "cleared out after the last big blow."

TonyO reports:
"Hit the outer cape about 5pm Sat nite. Mung thick from HighHead to Race. Ballston clean but no fish. Nauset dirty with big surf. Had some equip. problems and ended up breaking off 2 fish. 1 decent fish on a needle and 1 good fish on an eel. Did learn some good things so it was not too bad a nite."

The North Side

Bassbuster made the bluefin tuna run in Cape Cod Bay earlier this week. Nada.

"Made the run out yesterday. What a difference a week makes. Not a one pod seen or heard from. There was a lot of open ocean w/no signs of life. Finally made the connection w/ Cannonball. Checked the middle of the bay over to Stellwagon w/no luck. Made the run back to see if the stripers and blues were still working back in Duxbury. That saved the day as the bay was loaded with both species. Some of the schools were finincky but tins and storm shad were working. Not what we were looking for but it saved the day."