Cape Cod and the Islands
Region

September 08, 2006

Buzzards Bay

Capt. Bob Paccia of Shore-line Guide Service reports:

Welcome to the prelude of the fall migration...

I know it's unbelievable, but here we are, into the first week of September. How can that be? It seems just like yesterday when we were getting our equipment ready for the first stripers to arrive. I guess that it must be true as the kids have gone back to school, the "summer people" have left the Cape and the land and water vehicle traffic has become manageable. It's finally time to do some serious fishing...

Huge pods of baitfish are working their way into our Buzzards bay waters. These baitfish have been gorging themselves and rapidly growing. We've even seen some of the baby bunkers in the 21/2" to 3" size. That's pretty impressive for this early in the season. Stripers and bluefish have also followed suit and have put on a few inches and gained some weight in their preparation for their long journey to the migration waters. Hopefully, the scent of all of these baitfish in our waters will draw in the bonito and false albacore as it did last September.

Enormous schools of schoolie stripers to 24", mixed with 6 to 8 pound bluefish have been keeping the baitfish busy. This has also provided some spectacular action for both "seasoned saltwater fly fishing and light tackle anglers" as well as being a mind-boggling experience for "first-timers" to saltwater fishing. Add to the scene hundreds or thousands of screaming terns and gulls and you have the beginning of a great fall migration. Keep in mind, that some really trophy-sized stripers have all ready been moving in to take advantage of the glutton of baitfish in Buzzards Bay. Those of us who tend to fish beside or even better, below the feeding schoolies have been rewarded with some bragg'n-sized bass.

Blitzes have been taking place later and later in the day. Stripers, bluefish and soon (we hope) bonito and false albacore will be available throughout the day. We are entering the best part of the season. This is the time of the year when charter captains earn their salt. It's time to get on the water, as soon, it will be over.

Just a quick note here before I get ready for tomorrow's morning's charter.
Be sure again to check all of your equipment before each and every cast, as the next fish that you hook, could be your fish of a lifetime.

A case in point:
I recently fished with a client named David (not his real name of course). We were catching schoolies in the 18' - 24' range with a few bluefish mixed in to make it interesting. After a good number of schoolie bass and after every bluefish, I would purposely ask, " How's your leader?" "Should you re-tie your fly knot?" "Is your hook sharp?" The answers were all affirmative. On the next cast, I saw David's fly rod double over to what I knew was a real fish. Line peeled off his reel as well as a ton of backing. Once the fish stopped stripping off backing, David, skillfully starting to regain backing and after some effort got the fish onto the fly line and finally got near the boat, I could see that this fish was in the 25 to 30, pounds, not inches. I David that this was a really good fish and to take it easy. Finally, when the fish came to the surface and saw the boat, snap, it was gone. Heartsick, David reeled in his line. After we examined the end of his leader, what did we find? The frayed leader that was left from the last bluefish that he had caught just before catching the striper of a lifetime. We've all done this at one time or another. Just don't let it happen to you when it's your opportunity to catching that one fish that you'd love to have taken a picture before releasing it.

Good luck,
Capt. Bob
http://www.Shore-line.com
CaptBob@Shore-line.com

Joe LeClair of North Eastern Anglers reports:

Fly fishing for Bluefin Tuna has been difficult with all the heavy winds and bad weather we have been having. If you are amendable enough to change plans and go for stripers and blues there are always fish to be caught. On the days we have been able to chase the tuna we have found them around in really good numbers. Most of the fish around the areas that I have been fishing are 40-45 inches with an ocasional 55-60 incher mixed in.

Falmouth & the Elizabeths

See the Buzzard's Bay report from Bob Paccia.  There is a ton of bait in this region.  Also, on moving tides, bass and blues are being caught on topwaters, as reported by Bucky Birrows from Martha's Vineyard.

The South Side

David Churbuck of Reel-Time reports:

The storm may have messed things up around the Cotuit area. Snapper blues are about the only game in town, aside from the occasional banded rudderfish hanging out under a buoy. Forum reports as recent as Wednesday indicated a quiet southside from Woods Hole to Centerville. Churbuck deep drifted a Cotuit inlet under the full moon on Wednesday night using a 350 gr. sink tip with a big weighted fly someone made out of Golden Retriever fur, but woof-woof, nothing was biting and fellow anglers throwing wood, rubber and eels were shut out as well. Daytime action comes down to snappers, but one would do well to cruise off the depth line and look for big blue blitz with Spanish mackerel mixed in. It’s that time. Give it a week. Water temps are plummeting and its time to keep an eye on the Wianno Cut for some false albacore action.

Martha's Vineyard

Bucky Burrows of Larrys Tackle reports:

Charter guys are grinding it out [for instance] at Middle Ground. There are some bunker around, and charter captains like Jen Clarke are getting getting 25 pound to 35 pound fish by bouncing bait on the bottom, so the big fish are out there. The fly rod business has been very busy: Middle Ground has some nice bass in it – I got an 18 pound bass in fact. rn

A few bonito [are] mixed in: Memesha, Tashmoo, -- all [the spots are] on the north shore. None of the usual spots like Cape Pogue or Edgartown have many fish, although the Hooter is still hot.

Wood's Hole, Robinson's Hole, Gay Head have all been productive on topwater, and we've had success in the rips with big flies – anywhere the water is moving hard. There have been a couple of bass blitzes on the south side of Naushon.

There's bait in the estuaries: peanut bunker, and a lot of mullet. Some school of young of the year herring, that are three inches long now. Lot of baby squid and they've grown an inch in the last 10 days. They're now 2.5 to 3 inches long.

Nantucket

Lynne Heyer of Cross Rip Outfitters reports:

WOW !!! The sun is shining and the wind is not howling. What a gorgeous day. I wish I was fishing today. The fish should be jumping out of the water. I have got some fresh reports from the last few days; Dave Stetson fished up at Great Point yesterday and reports good numbers of Blues off the west side of the Point. He did not see anything else as far as Bonito and or Spanish Mackerel but with that bad weather the other day who knows if those species are still around. The weather also cooled of the water temps about 5-10 degrees in some places. Now I think that will rise back up in some areas but it will improve the Striper fishing. Jeff fished the last few days and has started to catch better numbers of Stripers and a lot of Blues. The Bonito Bar has been very quiet. The Bonito may have started to move off the bar you just never know with them. Maybe they are making room for the Albies. I have not heard any new news about them. Captain Shawn Bristow went offshore Tuna fishing a few days back and did pretty well, I don't remember if he said said they had 4 or 6 bites. But lots of Dolphin and whales. He thought the bite was a little off but again with the bad weather that came through I think that was to be expected. That to should pick back up.

We here at the shop and others are gearing up for the Nantucket Slam Tournament coming up September 10 and 12. It's not to late to participate. It's been a great time the past few years and it's all to benefit Cystic Fibrosis. Come help us catch the Cure.

Cross Rip Outfitters
http://www.crossrip.com

Chatham, Monomoy and the Outer Beaches

Tom George of Fish Pier Charters (508 280-3559) heard "regal sword" is starting to show some fish, but that's as far as 20 miles from the Chatham Cut.  In addition, there are some bass in Chatham around the sea buoy for anglers who feel like dredging with a chartreuse and white half-and-half.  There continue to be bluefish around, especially on the west side of Monomoy, and until recently, bonito have been  mixed in with them.  There have also been some schools of adult bunker around, and these schools will typically be shadowed by large bluefish, and as the water temperature continues to drop, some big bass, especially at night.

Joe Fitzback of Top Rod Charters reports that they had excellent fishing for bonito and a few albies in the channels east of Monomoy on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the storm, but that that fishing has likely dried up, and he ha not been back to the area.  The fish were busting on the surface in his spots.  He likes to work rips, always drifting.

As bluefin, Joe reports his captains have had excellent success of late, landing 10 to 12  per day.  They also got 6 bluefin on fly, as the fish have been eating big bunker flies well.  He advises looking for gannets and other birds on the water marking big balls of bait beneath, then being patient.  The footballs will eventually come through and but the bait, and then you can throw a fly to them.

North Side

Capt. Mike Mathews of Offshore Angler Charters reports:

Cape Cod Bay & Beyond is Heating Up! Better quantities and Bigger Tuna are showing up everyday. Capt. Mike Mathews and his customer in this photo... CCB has been slow to develop. The long run East of Chatham was the only option for good Tuna action for a while. This last week CCB & the Outer Bay has picked up big time. Topwater & Subsurface action with plugs has worked early mornings on the SW Corner as well as Trolling Bar and Chains. Hopefully the 50lbers will move into the Bay this week and really turn things up! I love fly & light tackle. Unfortunately this year is awful compared to last. Crab Ledge is still great but CCB offers the better possibility of Topwater.