Barnstable Fishing Forecast and Report
A humpback whale was spotted less than a half of a mile from the Sandy Neck coastline this past week. Odds are it was feeding on tinker mackerel, sandeels, or herring. Credit Ryan Collins
This 39 pound bass was one of 16 keeper stripers caught during a Cape Cod Bay trip this past week.
Getting on the water before the sun comes up is important for catching fish during this time of the year.
A humpback whale was spotted less than a half of a mile from the Sandy Neck coastline this past week. Odds are it was feeding on tinker mackerel, sandeels, or herring.
The waters around Barnstable were teeming with life this past week.
Off Sandy Neck, a large humpback whale was spotted splashing and slapping its fins less than a half of a mile offshore. Seeing a humpback whale this deep inside Cape Cod Bay is a rather rare event, as the whales usually stick around Stellwagen Bank and the waters off Provincetown.
Why was the whale so close to the Barnstable coastline? He may have wanted to say hello to some our local beach-bums. However more than likely, the whale was drawn to the area for nutritional purposes. Big humpbacks need a lot of mackerel, herring and sandeels to survive, so it is plausible to assume that there is a lot of bait holding just offshore Sandy Neck.
The bluefish we caught this past week coughed up quite a few tinker mackerel. Tinkers, along with squid and butterfish, traditionally invade the stretch of water from the Canal's east end to Billingsgate Shoal during the summer. This can produce some awesome fishing, and apparently decent whale watching.
It looks like we will be having some serious heat moving into our area this weekend, but the fish are out there for those willing to brave the sun. Anglers willing to devote some time and effort this weekend may be rewarded with a beautiful Cape Cod Bay 30 or 40 pound striper.
The fish are out there, and contrary to what I said in my last report, have been caught in shallower water close to the Sandy Neck shoreline.
What Worked this Past Week
Like usual, the key to catching decent size stripers was finding the fish in the first place. What this translated into was a ton of time spent cruising around the Bay, staring at the fish finder.
Most of the bass were balled up in tight schools, which meant it was possible for us to cruise at 20 mph, and still clearly mark fish with our sonar. Often times we covered miles of water before marking any bass.
When cruising at this speed, a school of bass will appear as a thin slit of orange and blue on most sonar systems. It is important to play around with the sensitivity on your unit, until you are able to distinguish fish marks from disturbance created by the engine.
We found reasonable numbers of bass and bluefish in depths ranging from 25 to 70 feet. It was well worth the time and effort spent finding the fish. The class of bass in the Bay right now is impressive, with 25 plus pound fish the norm rather than the exception.
Trolling tubes on leadcore line proved to be the ticket. In some instances, when the bass were holding in the upper part of the water column, a mere three colors produced. However, seven colors caught several bass around the 30-pound mark for us Thursday morning.
If you are marking bass on your sonar, pay attention to the depths at which they are holding. The bass we caught using three colors of leadcore line, were holding around 15-17 feet-rather shallow in the water column. On the other hand, the bass caught using seven colors were holding around 25-30 foot depths.
The rule of thumb when fishing leadcore is that five feet of depth is achieved with each color of line in the water. This varies, of course, with trolling speed, wind, current and whether or not you add weight to your tubes.
Looking Forward to This Weekend and Next Week
Fish are extremely unpredictable! So I am very hesitant to "predict" what will happen this coming week. With that said, if the weather cooperates, there should be plenty of nice bass and blues available for the boating, and even the surfcasting crowd.
Dragging tubes and bunker spoons will undoubtedly take a fair number of nice bass this week. I am hoping that the quality of fish remains the same. There were some seriously big bass swimming around the Bay over the last few days.
Last year we were treated to an astounding number of tinker mackerel choosing to reside in the waters from the Canal's east end, down to the Fingers off Barnstable Harbor. Will the tinkers return this summer in numbers comparable to last season? Your guess is as good as mine, yet it is promising to know that there are at least a half way decent amount of mackerel swimming around the Bay at the present moment.
The week of July 24th, 2010, featured incredible amounts of butterfish and squid around the Parking Lot and the Fingers. Again who knows if they will return, but if they do, expect the bass and bluefish to not be far behind.
If we get glass calm conditions this week, keep an eye out for bass and blues finning just under the water's surface. These fish can be very skittish, and difficult to catch. A perfectly presented needlefish plug or live eel skipped across the surface will sometimes produce impressive topwater strikes-which is a ton of fun.
Late July is an inherently difficult time of the year for the shore crowd. Fishing at night and at first light will give you the best bet for hooking up. Dunking chunk bait or pitching live eels should provide a half way decent shot at a keeper bass.
The Cape Cod Canal is still coughing up a few decent fish for those willing to jig the bottom.
Tight lines, stay safe, and good luck out there!
For more fishing reports, visit My Fishing Cape Cod.
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