RandyJones
05-11-2000, 02:01 PM
May 11 Fishing Report: Thru these guides eyes-
Well, here we go again. The following fishing reports will be concerning mostly the Chatham area. For any of you who are unfamiliar with Chatham, it is a small quaint drinking village with a fishing problem. The tunnel leading to the Cape is finished and the bridge to P-Town is almost done. You know what they say about P-Town? If you drop your wallet, make sure you kick it all the way back to Chatham before picking it up! Ha
.
S and S.E. Cape Cod Fishing Report:
5/3-6 Lots of Stripers in the teens were taken in the Bass River with a few in the 20-inch range.
5/5 Some fish in the Chatham area. Found some mackerel and shad. Nothing moving yet along the outer beaches.
5/10 Have seen some squid in close to shore, Chatham-Hmmm. Biggest Striper for the day was 28 inches.
5/10 Bass River-couple in the 30-inch +. Dominant bait, 3-4 inch sand lances.
For the next 2, 3 weeks expect 500- 2000 stripers per day migrating along the outer Cape beaches with-in casting range. Expect there size to increase every few days until most will be in the 30 inch and above range mixed in with Blues. If sunny, sight fishing for them as they cruse along the beach in schools of 50-100 (Average) within 30 feet of the shoreline will be an optional treat. Expect blues to be mixed in, starting next week. Most of these outer beach cruisers do not like surface poppers or gurglers. Instead keep your fly sub-surface with any type of line. What I find to be the most visually exciting is to fish a big fly on a floating line. Watching them break from the school to chase your fly to the surface with reckless abandonment, inhaling it with eagerness as if it was there last meal is almost as exciting as s - x.
We are getting close to the perfect time to be throwing large Herring flies on the high tide. Look for spawned out Herring to be leaving there freshwater spawning grounds and re-entering the saltwater marshes, estuaries and tidal rivers. The larger Bass will be keying in on this return.
Middle to Late May: Sight fishing on some of the early, warm water flats will produce big results with hardly anyone around.
Have recently noticed a good increase of fish moving east along the south shore of the Cape and moving into all tidal rivers and Marshes. Also an increase in size. We call these the " Salad Days."
New Regulations:
Massachusetts has reversed their recreational size limit for 2000. One fish may be kept per day and the minimum length has been increased to 30 inches in an effort to protect more of the brood stock. The commercial season will open on July 3 and the commercial minimum size limit is 34 inches. There is a 40 fish per boat limit and fishing for striped bass will continue until the yearly quota.
Something we should all be concerned with are the States that allow a commercial harvest, which leads to a serious poaching problem with guys going out and live baiting for all they can catch for under the counter sales.
Happy Hookin;
Randy Jones
Well, here we go again. The following fishing reports will be concerning mostly the Chatham area. For any of you who are unfamiliar with Chatham, it is a small quaint drinking village with a fishing problem. The tunnel leading to the Cape is finished and the bridge to P-Town is almost done. You know what they say about P-Town? If you drop your wallet, make sure you kick it all the way back to Chatham before picking it up! Ha
.
S and S.E. Cape Cod Fishing Report:
5/3-6 Lots of Stripers in the teens were taken in the Bass River with a few in the 20-inch range.
5/5 Some fish in the Chatham area. Found some mackerel and shad. Nothing moving yet along the outer beaches.
5/10 Have seen some squid in close to shore, Chatham-Hmmm. Biggest Striper for the day was 28 inches.
5/10 Bass River-couple in the 30-inch +. Dominant bait, 3-4 inch sand lances.
For the next 2, 3 weeks expect 500- 2000 stripers per day migrating along the outer Cape beaches with-in casting range. Expect there size to increase every few days until most will be in the 30 inch and above range mixed in with Blues. If sunny, sight fishing for them as they cruse along the beach in schools of 50-100 (Average) within 30 feet of the shoreline will be an optional treat. Expect blues to be mixed in, starting next week. Most of these outer beach cruisers do not like surface poppers or gurglers. Instead keep your fly sub-surface with any type of line. What I find to be the most visually exciting is to fish a big fly on a floating line. Watching them break from the school to chase your fly to the surface with reckless abandonment, inhaling it with eagerness as if it was there last meal is almost as exciting as s - x.
We are getting close to the perfect time to be throwing large Herring flies on the high tide. Look for spawned out Herring to be leaving there freshwater spawning grounds and re-entering the saltwater marshes, estuaries and tidal rivers. The larger Bass will be keying in on this return.
Middle to Late May: Sight fishing on some of the early, warm water flats will produce big results with hardly anyone around.
Have recently noticed a good increase of fish moving east along the south shore of the Cape and moving into all tidal rivers and Marshes. Also an increase in size. We call these the " Salad Days."
New Regulations:
Massachusetts has reversed their recreational size limit for 2000. One fish may be kept per day and the minimum length has been increased to 30 inches in an effort to protect more of the brood stock. The commercial season will open on July 3 and the commercial minimum size limit is 34 inches. There is a 40 fish per boat limit and fishing for striped bass will continue until the yearly quota.
Something we should all be concerned with are the States that allow a commercial harvest, which leads to a serious poaching problem with guys going out and live baiting for all they can catch for under the counter sales.
Happy Hookin;
Randy Jones