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June 4 , 2009
By Rick Bach
Bass, blues and bait are thick in Cape Cod waters as we ease into the first week of June, and promising reports are coming in from the Canal to the Race.
This past week the fishing slowed down a bit on the Canal, but promises to pick up again with a good set of tides starting this weekend and into next week. The full moon should also have stripers strapping on the feedbag. Stan at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay weighed in a 34-pound striper taken out of the Canal on an eel this week.
Red and black Slug-Gos are seeing their share of action in the canal, as are RonZs. A silver RonZ was responsible for a few big fish this past week so it might be worth tying one on. The 10-inch, 3-ounce version seems to work the best in the Canal current.
Bucktails with red and pink pork rinds are taking their share of fish in the Canal as well.
Have a few extra leaders tied up and don’t forget the pliers because blues are moving into the Canal in greater numbers every day. Some of them are gators, according to Bruce at Canal Bait 
and Tackle in Sagamore. Gator bluefish to 34 inches are being taken, although most are in the 3- to 5-pound range. These fish will fight as hard as anything that swims so have some fun if you find them, especially the big ones.
There are still some squid and macks hanging around in the ditch, but the squid are coming in at night and the mackerel are hanging on the outside. The majority of the mackerel that were pushing through the Canal a week or two ago are making their way up to the Weymouth area, according to Mike from M & D’s Bait and Tackle in Wareham.
On the west end of the Canal, sea bass and scup are present in good numbers, and some stripers are being caught on live-lined scup. On the other end of the Canal, flounder are being caught, including a few decent fish, to 17 inches.
One feel-good story has an 80-year old fisherman taking his first saltwater fish off Scusset Beach this week. The interesting part is that it was a 6-pound ‘tog. Chalk it up to beginners luck.
Starting on Tuesday, there is a very good-looking set of morning tides that should have action picking back up in the Canal. Topwaters at first light are likely to produce some fish this week. Michael at Eastman’s Sport and Tackle inFalmouth said that he thinks an east tide in the morning might be the best time to hit the canal.
On the south side of the Cape, the bluefish are in thick. A south wind will push them up against southern beaches, crashing bait, and the fishing can be fish-every-cast good. Word in the On The Water office was that this was the case on Monday night and that bluefish were getting hammered by a throng of South Cape anglers. However, on Tuesday night the wind died down to a whisper and there wasn’t a bent rod to be seen on the beach. With fish moving around chasing bait this time of year, the wind can be a crucial factor in the location you choose to target.
Oregon Beach in Cotuit turned up a 42-inch fish recently, according to Jay at Mashpee Bait and Tackle.
On the more secretive side of things, a source says that fishermen have been very quietly pulling big fish out of Quicks Hole recently, so it might be worth wetting a line there to see if the rumors are true.
In Cape Cod Bay, is sounds like things are really getting going. Mackerel and sand eels have got bass beating up bait from Billingsgate to the Race. Though there haven’t been reports of any cows, it’s likely that at least some of the larger fish that moved through the Canal last week should be making their way into the Bay this weekend.
Barnstable Harbor is absolutely loaded with sand eels according to Jay at Mashpee Bait and tackle. Sand eel imitations on umbrella rigs are taking their share of bass, but the action has been hit-or-miss. “It’s like somebody’s playing with a light switch,” Jay said, describing how the fishing has been turning on and off suddenly over the past week.
A 42-pound striper came out of Barnstable Harbor on a RonZ this week, according to Matt at Chatham Bait and Tackle.Pogies provide a good example of the inconsistency Jay’s talking about. They will show up in certain areas, and be gone the next day. Anglers that have spotted them are saying that they’re balling up tighter than they have been, a sign that they’re getting ready to move offshore.
A few nice stripers were taken on chunked mackerel on the inside of Barnstable Harbor. Sand eels are likely your best bet for quantity of fish, but live-lining a mack might just turn up a heftier specimen.
Live-lining scup has been working for the anglers that can find the scup, but the season for this bottom fish has gotten off to a slow start.
Richard at the Hook Up in Orleans said that there have been a lot of fish in the 26- to 30-inch range in the bay, but there are fish in the 40-inch range roaming around as well. “It’s only getting better from here on out,” he said.
Bluefish are making their presence felt in the bay, with some bigger fish showing up as well. There haven’t been too many of them, but a few very big bluefish have surprised some bay anglers. Boat fishermen have been having some success of Sunken Meadow Beach in Eastham.
Up on Race Point in Provincetown, things are getting going, Rich at Nelson’s Bait and Tackle said. He described the fish as “skittish,” but said that they can be caught. Yo-Zuri mag darters and Gags Grabbers Mambow Minnows are taking some fish, from schoolies up to keeper-sized stripers. Sebile’s new line of lures, specifically the Magic Swimmer, were bringing fish up from the depths off the Race this week, according to a source inside the On The Water office. Check out this double-jointed bait’s erratic action next time you hit the beach.
RonZs offer a good sand eel imitation and have been taking their share of fish off Race Point as well, Rich said. One angler kayaking off the beach said he saw some giant stripers swimming right beneath him.
“It’s been one of the best springs we’ve seen in years!” Rich said.
On the back side of the Cape, there are some stripers being taken here and there from the surf, although nothing consistent. A few fish in the 30-inch range have hit the sand, according to Paul at Black Beard’s Bait and Tackle, but the action has been spotty at best, he said. Garret at the Goose Hummock said he’s heard of a few keepers coming off Nauset Beach, but nothing spectacular. The action in the bay has been much hotter.
Down on the Vineyard, the trick has been finding the fish, as they’re constantly on the move, Steve at Larry’s Bait and Tackle reported. Smaller fish are surrounding the island now, with schoolies being caught more consistently. Good-sized scup are being caught on Sabiki rigs. The squidding has been slow. Bluefish in the 4- to 8-pound range are showing up off the Vineyard. If you’re looking for a place to fish on the Vineyard this weekend, his Wasque Point tossing bucktails and bombers. It’s your best shot at a big striped bass and a bruiser 8-pound bluefish isn’t a bad consolation prize.
Fishermen who prefer their water a slightly deeper shade of blue will be excited to hear that it’s officially tuna time. A 71-inch fish was taken on Stellwagen Bank this week and there have been more reports of big bluefin busting on top. It will probably be another week or so before these fish show up in any significant numbers, but they’re coming.
Freshwater fishermen can break out the spinnerbaits. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass are moving off their beds, and the bite is heating up, Jay at Mashpee Bait and Tackle said. The trout bite remains hot on the Cape, and with reduced pressure on local ponds there might not be a better time to savor the sweetwater.
Best Bets For the Weekend
It would be hard to go wrong wetting a line on the Cape this weekend. A promising set of tides in the Canal should have some drags humming. Enormous schools of sand eels have got stripers feeding actively in the Bay, and big fish are cruising around Race Point. Bluefish are in on the southern beaches, and when the wind is right, they’re giving anglers all they can handle. The sea bass bite is red hot, and scup are even starting to show up. Largemouth and smallmouth bass and trout are still active, as water temperatures haven’t warmed enough to slow them down. And tuna are finally arriving on Stellwagen. So pick your species, tighten that drag, and hit the water. Judging from a 57-pound fish that fell in Montauk on Friday morning, there are bigger fish on their way to the Cape.
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