Cape Cod and the Islands
Region

June 01, 2007

Buzzards Bay

Captain Terry Nugent of RipTide Charters has been catching an obscene number of obscenely large fish! His father caught the largest pictured here. While his favorite big fish tactic at this time of year is livelining pogies rather than fly fishing, I think all fishermen can learn about how and when to catch truly large bass by reading some of Terry's posts online.

Check out this one, and perhaps, this one.

These fish can be caught on flies, as the guides in New York do it all the time in the early season. They dredge below and around bunker schools for instance.

Captain Tom Cornicelli of Moriches Bay likes to user a live teaser to bring big bass in range of the fly rod.

Falmouth & the Elizabeths

Eastman's Sport & Tackle in Falmouth (508-548-6900) reports:

As we enter June, fishing in the Falmouth and nearby waters continues to be exceptional for all species. Water temperatures are near perfect and should remain that way for the next week or two. Although squid have begun to disappear, schools of large pogies continue to pop up throughout the area and sand eels are spreading throughout both Sounds and Buzzards Bay. So now's the time to hit the waters before warmer temperatures send fish away from the near-shore waters.

Striped Bass - Big schools of big striped bass have moved into Vineyard Sound and western Nantucket Sound. Thirty-pound-class fish are being taken consistently along both sides of the Elizabeth Islands, in the Hole and off Nobska Point and, less frequently, on the Middle Ground. A 61-pound bass fell to a Vineyard angler fishing a live scup at night at Devil's Bridge. Jigging is as effective as live-lining and some anglers have started throwing eels. On most tides, there are also periods of very good top-water action. In other words, spring bass fishing is as good as it gets.

Blue Fish - The blues dominate Nantucket Sound from Menauhaut Beach in Falmouth to the east beyond Hyannis. Beach blitzes can occur at any time of the day and boat anglers are finding schools of blues topping 10 pounds.

See the rest of their online report here: http://www.eastmanstackle.com/fishing.php

The Cape Cod Canal

No fly reports from the canal this week, but fish should definitely be ganging up to feed there, especially at the mouth of Buzzard's Bay.

The South Side

Reel-Timer CapeMike88 posted about his season launching trip:

It felt good to finally cross the sagamore bridge, striper season is finally here. The plan was to fish the southside of the Cape for the weekend with my Dad and a good friend.

5/26
It was just my buddy and I as we launched are 14ft skiff into the sound, headed for a fairly well known UDL. We fished from 6am-noon and managed around 5 fish, only 4 legals with many, many 26" class fish. There were a fair amount of bluefish in the area and were a nuisence tearing up my buddies sluggos. I stuck to the biggest baitfish imatation I had hoping for large. While we didn't manage to hook any big fish, we were sightfishing to schools of fish in 6-8ft of water along a rocky shoreline which was pretty sick in itself.

5-27
Today my Dad joined us, due to the later high tide we weren't onscene until a little past 6 (our launch is iffy at the lower tides). Today was to be the day of the sluggo. My buddy BAILED legal fish all morning with some shorts mixed in on white sluggos! My Dad at first tried herring before converting to the dark side and takinghis first of many legal fish on sluggos. I stuck to the fly again, determined to dredge up a slob from the depths. We began the morning fishing the same shallow rocky area as the day before, but it soon became apparant that the shift in wind change (SW to NE) or the lack of sun to warm the shallows had kept the larger fish in deeper water. We tried a drift in 20-25ft (No electronics on the 14ft skiff) and on the first drift we found the fish we were looking for. The fishing was OFF THE HOOK, literally, I couldn't keep a fish buttoned up long enough to get it back on the reel. I've never really fished rips before (north shore guy), and I had some learning to do. It took me about 5 fish to get the hang of it before I was catching up with the sluggos which they were now fishing on jig heads. The fish were a little more aggressive at first, once the tide slackened up all we could buy were follows almost every cast. Once the tide started cranking again, it was ON. We landed LOTS of legal fish that morning, this time my Dad and buddy opted to keep one a piece for the grill. While we were BAILING legal fish, nothing was over 30", all cookie cutter 28-30" bass. One side note, the blues that we were catching were puking up whole squid, so there evidently still in the area. Epic weekend on the water, being able to share that with my Dad, and get him hooked on artificials was awsome!

Martha's Vineyard

Jeff Sayre reports:

May 27, 2007: What a difference a week makes! Last weekend furnaces were kicking on and it was down right raw. This weekend feels like August. So far it's been great weather for everyone here for Memorial Day weekend. The fishing has been pretty good too. Bigger bass are showing up and people have been doing well from both boat and shore.

I took my buddies Jeff and Chris from PA to one of my favorite early season bluefish spots a few days back. The amount of fish there was unreal! We spent hours catching blues in 2 to 3 feet of water. Everywhere you looked you saw large numbers of fish cruising in the shallow water. Most fish were around 6 lbs but we got a few in the 9 lb class. They would hammer any plug tossed their way but enticing them to hit a fly took a little work. Teasing them to the boat with a hookless lure usually did the trick though.

There has been plenty of blues around Chappy too. The new cut at Norton Point Beach has fished well as has East Beach and Wasque. Bass are showing up at all the usual spots with some bigger fish in the mix. We fished a rip the other day and landed a bunch but no big ones. We were hoping to find some fish blasting squid but we did not see any. Hopefully that action will start soon.

It's a great time too be here! Surf fishing, boat fishing, blitzes, worm hatches, etc. It's seems there are too many fishing opportunities. You feel like you're going to miss something somewhere.

Steve Purcell of Larrys Tackle reports:

I had a fly rod trip today: we got 8 stripers, and missed about 8 more. We were fishing Middle ground, but the fish were moving around. There were definitely squid in the rips. We saw big ink clouds in the water and squid coming out. There were yearling herring too -- 3 inches long – we could see flashes of them in schools, and they defiietly had scales.

We tried deer hair sliders with rattles and fish would come up, and maybe kiss the fly and slowly go back. We switched to squid poppers with ratttling eyes – the slider and popping squid are my two favorite flies in the rips – but again we had only lookers. We were drifting, and there were fish in every pocket: coming up and looking. We had a bunch of misses. We even tried the bait and switch using a jumping minnow as a teaser. Finally we scored with pink-and-white Chris Windram squids.

Elsewhere around the island, there are fish up to 20 pounds being caught by anglers dredging on the east side, and the island is basically infested with bluefish or bass.

For shore anglers, there's no worm hatch right now, but the new opening, on the Chappy side is producing. It's shoaled up on the Edgartown side, but deep and fast on the chappy side. There are also lots of fish in Katama bay, and six and eight pound bluefish around the harbor.

Nantucket

Capt. Lynne Heyer of Cross Rip Outfitters reports:

Good afternoon to everyone like me who is looking out the window at the unbelievable weather today. Sunny and Bright, I even gave James the afternoon off. I know I will get my turn and I am not that worried about it but it sure is a beautiful day.

Now to the fishing, Blues have invaded our waters and seem to be everywhere. But the Bass haven't let that bother them. I am getting reports of fish pretty much all over the Island. Both Madaket and Town Harbors are fishing well. Great Point is doing okay amongst the seals. The seals are all over the Point but don't be afraid to try elsewhere than just the Point, our beach Guide Dave Stetson has had good luck on both the Ocean and Sound sides of the Galls. Jeff stopped in just a minute ago to report that his clients Harry and Brad Hanson had a pretty special day out with him today. Both father and son landed many fish of both species on spin and fly. That report mirrors Spanky Kania's report of his afternoon of catching Stripers. He did have a couple complications, Puppy overboard, fly box overboard but Striper landed then Puppy then flies came back over the side. If any of you know Spanky it was told with much more flair and laughter than I can tell you.

I did get out in my new boat last night for a quick shake down cruise. Jeff and I took the new Flyaway out for a spin. She is a Parker 21' and she is fine. We even threw a couple casts out, caught a couple baby Blues and called her christened. Will have to get back out and get some Stripers to really do the job right.

Capt. Lynne Heyer
Cross Rip Outfitters,Ltd.
508-228-4900
www.crossrip.com

Chatham, Monomoy and the Outer Beaches

Randy Jones of Yankee Angler reports:

5/30/07 Wade S.E. Cape Cod "and Beyond" Fishing Reports, Humor, Articles, Tips, Pictures and Ramblings :

My o' my. Fish top to bottom of Cape. Short's, keepers, blues, mackerel, shad, squid, etc! As the tides slowed this week so did the fishing, which is very normal. Look for better fishing in the next couple week's or so of average to fast tides. Still solid numbers of fish being seen on (certain-hint) flats (when sunny) and surf by the fly/spin experienced sight fishing wade angler everyday. Normally not a ton, but just enouph to keep it interesting. So-so. Bass - Blues here and there. The best fishing in the area I was in was hot - solid Blues Thurs. and Friday. Up until today?, everything mentioned above.
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We have been finding fish everyday whether site fishing or blind. Some days almost non-stop, other's having to work hard for them, thats fishing Some of the bigger bass getting a lil fussy in the shallows, but still easily taken by the experienced flat's rat Noticing a fair number of keeper sized resident Bass freshly arrived, covered in lice, making their rounds along with the usual bigger pods or schools of schoolie Bass and Blues. I use a different fly, etc... depending on whether I see mostly Blues, schoolies or Keepers. Each type likes - prefers - wants it a lil different, in my opinion (Presentation, rigging, food) If your having trouble sight fishing to the bigger bass then just employ your early July Flats tactics. It will work like a charm! Guaranteed
Thanks for stopping bye, Randy

Capt. Joe Fitzback reports:

Nantucket sound is great. There are bluefish up to 10 pounds. We're throwing small sand eel patterns. Chartreuse aren't working at all, but the very small ones, we can't keep them in the shop. The bluefish are crazy.

For bass, last week we had 11 keepers on the fly fishing the flats, site fishing. I was really surprised, but with the lack of bad winds we could get out pretty good.

At Stage Harbor, there have been pogies. The pogies are so thick that dredging probably wouldn't work. There's probably too much bait. Hickory shad have not showed. The squid left.

I haven't fished in Pleasant Bay, and I haven't seen osprey diving in there, but if there are bass on the outside, then they are probably catching bass too in Pleasant Bay. Joe, who is the herring warden in Chatham also added that the runs are of course still closed, and that you can lose your vehicle and any gear they've got with you if you are caught trying to get herring – and people have been.

Finally your faithful FishWire coordinator personally fished the outside of the beach earlier in the week, by walking south from the lighthouse in Chatham. I was hoping to find a school of bass migrating north along the shore, so that I could try to sight fish from the high part of the beach but I had no such luck. I WAS lucky to run into Reel-Time moderator and former gudes, Ray Avitable, who showed me how to stick some of the schoolies swarming around under the first set of breakers in the bowls of the surf. With a sparse chartreuse Clouser, I caught 5 fish, including two that were fat feisty 25 inch fish. Thanks you Reel-Timers for being generous with your know-how!

North Side

Capt. Mike Mathews of Offshore Angler Charters reports:

I was on the water all week/weekend (Wednesday to Sunday) and saw everything under the Sun as well got a chance to finally run my new boat in different waters, ramps, weather.....Everything went great including the fishing. Our overall picture of the weekend was CCB is getting better and better. The flats are HOT with 28-33" fish. Sighting striper from the new tower is just awesome! It's a little nerveracking to run the 32' Grady in 3-5 ft of water but the depths are so consistent its not bad at all.

The South Side was just covered with 12-16lb blues in the offshore rips that were just a blast with the 9wt Rods and sand eel patterns.

I am looking forward to getting out there again Friday to Sunday!

FYI....I met the new Sesuit Harbor Master. Great guy and has asked for copies of all Captain's Licenses who will charter out of the Harbor this Summer. You can't miss the sign at the ramp.

Reel-Timer Oneidog posted this report:

Just a quick report from the weekend. The flats were on fire all weekend - looked more like an aquarium than the ocean. Fished the incoming and 1/2 the outgoing on Saturday & Sunday and it was hard not to catch a fish. Three of us had non-stop action on sand eel patterns, gurgglers & the infamous white sluggo.

Most of the fish were small 12 - 18" with a few 20 - 24 and 2 @ 28. Great time had by all! Was surprised that there were only a couple of other boats out, although, from what I heard, the fishing was red hot over at Sunken Meadow and towards Billingsgate, so people may have been looking for larger fish.

Lot's of Mack's around at the can right in front of Sesuit Harbor.

All in all, great day on the water with family that doesn't get out much. To see the looks on their faces catching fish after fish was pleasure enough for me. I'm sure it won't take much to get them back out again.

Hope all had a safe weekend.