Eastman’s Sport & Tackle

Despite the reports (or was it rumors) of bluefish hitting the local waters almost a month ago, the toothy critters have been absent until this week. We have reliable and confirmed reports of blues being taken from shore at Oregon Beach.  We also saw a photo (unfortunately we couldn’t obtain it for this post) of a estimated 14-lb blue landed off a small pond entrance in Falmouth. So by the time you read this, the traditional South Cape Beach blitz should be underway.

Meanwhile, striped bass fishing has been excellent, with many fish between 30 and 40 inches being taken throughout the Upper Cape. In the bass family, fishing from black sea bass is also excellent.  It’s mostly a boat fishery over wrecks and rock piles but some anglers have been getting them from local jetties.

As we wrote previously, there’s a lot of bait, including the best squid run in memory and lots of menhaden.  2012 continues to look like a banner year.

Check out our photo gallery for pictures of some of the striped bass that have been taken during the past week.

Large numbers of striped bass — from schoolies to up to 40″ — have moved into the Upper Cape waters.  We’ve gotten daily reports of keeper-sized bass being caught from Cotuit to the east, past the Falmouth beaches, out at the Middle Ground, through Woods Hole and throughout Buzzards Bay.  The big cows are not here yet but they’ve left their spawning grounds and should arrive here within the next two weeks.

A very encouraging sign is this year’s squid run which appears to be the best in several years.  Menhaden (pogies to us New Englanders) have also arrived in decent numbers.  If the other bait continues this trend, we just might have the long-awaited banner season.  And if the warmer than normal sea temperatures hold, we just might enjoy an early and break-out season for bonito, albies and Spanish mackerel.

Although it seems like it’s been “summer” for some time, the only bottom fish seasons currently open for recreational anglers are tautog and scup. Commercial fishermen did very well during their now-closed tautog season, and the scup are spawning several weeks ahead of schedule.  Fluke and black sea bass will open for recreational anglers later this month.

At Eastman’s, we’re bringing back our bi-weekly fishing contest for striped bass and bluefish. The first contest will run from Monday, May 7 through Sunday, May 20. For striped bass, minimum size is 15 lbs; for bluefish, 7 lbs.  Fish must be weighed at the store.  Bi-weekly winners will receive $25 gift certificates. Seasonal winners for the largest bass and blue will receive $100 gift certificates.We’ll post the numbers of the winners here, so stayed tuned.

If you’ve been waiting, now’s the time to go saltwater fishing.  Striped bass, including a good number of keepers, have moved into the local waters.  They’re following the squid run now underway in the two Sounds, and the schools of pogies that are moving east through Nantucket Sound. Large schools of pogies were spotted Tuesday from Cotuit to Hyannis.  Smaller schools of pogies were cruising Waquoit Bay and the salt ponds.

Yes, it’s only April 26.  But in this year of strange weather, everything is occurring two or three weeks early.  That’s includes evening worm hatches in a number of the local salt ponds, as well as mackerel and herring in the Canal.  So as we said at the top, now’s the time to hit the salt.

On the freshwater side, trout fishing continues to be excellent in all the ponds stocked with trout.  Anglers targeting bass are reporting many fish in the four to five pound range being taken on shiners and artificial baits.

Squid turned up today (April 18) in Falmouth Harbor. There are mackerel and herring from Boston Harbor all the way to the east end of the Canal.  Striped bass are being caught off the beach at Wasque on the Vineyard.  Two keepers were caught Tuesday night.  And there are schoolies in the local harbors.

 All of the above are from very reliable sources.

 In other words, the 2012 saltwater season is about to break open.

Stay tuned.

Here’s a documented report.  Tautog have moved into Buzzards Bay and are being caught over most any rock pile and harbor from the Canal to points west.

As for all those reports last week about blues in Nantucket Sound,  we have yet to personally see a blue or witness a catch.  However, we and many other shops all heard the same reports from the same reliable sources.  So who knows?  The facts are there are lots of blues and bass just to south and west of us, some as close as Mount Hope Bay on the Mass/Rhode Island border.  Maybe there was an advance party of blues who ventured here and then scooted back to the main body of migrating fish.

Conditions are just about perfect for everything to break wide open on the saltwater front.  Water temperatures are staying in the low 50’s — or within a degree or two of optimum temperates for both bait, like squid, and the predator fish.

Our advice: Keep you eye on the water for breaking fish and birds, and don’t hesitate to toss a plug or metal lure.

We’re back for 2012 season, and like everything this winter and spring of unusual warmth, the blues are already at South Cape Beach.

 That’s not a typo.  It’s just April 4 and we have three reports of bluefish being caught for the past several days (some in March) off South Cape Beach and Falmouth Heights.  The reports are second hand but come from usually reliable sources.  One source reported that a well known commercial fisherman and bait seller took 100 pounds of bluefish from the waters off South Cape.

Other reasons why the reports could very well be true.  Migrating striped bass and blues were being caught at Montauk Point almost two weeks ago.  The West Wall in Rhode Island has had schoolies for the past week.

It appears that the regulations for striped bass and bluefish will be unchanged for 2012.  However, the regulations for fluke, sea bass and scup have yet to be posted by the state.

For those anglers who fish freshwater, the state has stocked local ponds with trout.  The state also reports that the trout are generally larger this year — between 12 and 16 inches.  It appears the very mild winter was very conducive to trout growth at the hatcheries.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass have moved into the shallows for the spring spawning season.  We had one customer report hooking several smallmouth between 4 and 5 pounds at Mashpee-Wakeby Pond.

We’re currently Monday through Saturday, 9 to 4 p.m.  Starting Sunday, April 15, we’ll be open seven days.

Plan on stopping in the store.  We’ve done a lot of re-stocking and re-designing that we think you’ll like.

It took awhile (like putting this report together) but the false albecore finally showed up this week in good numbers. The funny fish, including some in the 12 to 14-lb. range , invaded Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds.  Albies were reported ssssall along the south side of the Cape and down along the Islands.  Smaller numbers of Albies were also reported in Buzzards Bay.

Bass fishing continues to be steady for the anglers still venturing forth.  A lot of boats were pulled as Irene approached and many did not go back in.  Pitching eels at night or during the low hours along the Islands is probably the best bet right now for 20 to 30-lb bass.

There is no shortage of blue fish, including some slammers pushsing 15 pounds.  They can be found throughout the local waters.

Bottom fishing for fluke, scup and sea bass is slowing down and seasons for all will close before the end of September. The fall tautog bite should get under way shortly.

In fresh water, bass fishing is hot with spinnerbaits attracting largemouths and smallmouths throughout the day.  The longer nights and slightly cooler temperatures have improved trout fishing.

Mid-summer fishing conditions have settled over the Cape.

With in-shore water temperatures rising through the 60’s, beach fishing has become a night-time or very early morning endeavor.  Bluefish can still be taken throughout the day, particularly in the evening.

For boat anglers seeking striped bass, Wasque, Squibnocket and Gay Head are the best destinations.  However, commercial anglers are also targeting those spots.

Fluke fishing is holding up quite well, although shorts continue to outnumber the keepers.  Best bet for big fluke is deep water of 80 feet or more.

Surface temperatures at Hedge Fence on Friday were just above 70 degrees.  Bonito are likely to show up any day now.

It’s mid-June and fishing around the upper Cape is very good, despite the erratic weather.

Striped bass have settled in throughout Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds, the Woods Hole Passage and Buzzards Bay.  Even shoals such as Succonesset, L’Hommedieu and Hedge Fence are holding bass along their deep water edges.  Shore anglers from South Cape Beach to Cotuit are  picking up bass that move into the shallow waters during a night dropping tide. With last week’s cool weather, these spots are likely to hold bass for the next week.

In Vineyard Sound, the Middle Ground, Quick’s and Roboinson’s Holes and the south side of the Islands out to Cuttyhunk have sizable schools of bass.  Jigging, chunking and eels are all producing.  Light tackle and fly anglers are picking up bass along the rocky shorelines.

Fluke fishing, which started slowly, has picked up with decent number of keepers mixed in the sub-legal fish.  The largest fluke can be found in the deepest holes.

Sea bass have spread out following the end of their spawning season but can still be found over the wrecks and particularly at Cleveland Ledge in Buzzards Bay.

The next several weeks should offer good fishing before the inevitable summer conditions set in. So now’s the time to get out.

Striped bass fishing, which started late and slowly, broke out with a big bang last week, producing some of the best spring fishing in memory.

Schools of bass from 20 to 40-lbs showed up first in Buzzards Bay, moved into the Canal and then Cape Cod Bay, following migrating schools of herring and mackerel.

Bill Townsend of Bangor, Maine, was fly fishing in Buzzards Bay with fellow Mainer and guide Doug Jowett, on May 18 landed and released 20 bass in a morning of fishing.  The largest measured 47-1/2 inches, truly a fish of a lifetime for a fly angler.

Last week’s bass bonanza was gone by the weekend but the Canal still holds good numbers of keeper-sized fish.

This week and heading into the holiday weekend the best bass fishing has been along the islands, off Gay Head, on Middle Ground and, particularly, in the Hole.  Bob Bowman used a live scup to haul in a 41-lb bass on May 24.

Fluke, sea bass and scup seasons are now open.  Fluke reports have been scarce but sea bass and scup fishing have been very good.

Bluefish continue to dominate Nantucket Sound from Menahaut Beach in Falmouth down to Cotuit.  Most evenings there are  blitzes on the south side beaches.