Eastman’s Sport & Tackle

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.

It’s May 13 (and a Friday no less) and the sun is finally out (for maybe a day at most). Fishing in local waters is getting better every day, but not in the way you would expect.  For the past week schools of medium to large blues have invaded Nantucket Sound.  Blitzes of blues hit the South Cape Beach and Cotuit beaches earlier this week.

Oddly, for this time of year, the blues have outnumbered the striped bass, which are slowly but steadily showing up in the local waters.  A few keepers have been reported from Woods Hole, Great and Little Ponds and the Cotuit Narrows.

Like last year, the squid run started strong but has slowed significantly, to the point that the commercial boats have pretty much given up.

Better bass fishing can be found in Buzzards Bay and its harbors and rivers.  Small keepers are being caught consistently and are moving steadily into the Canal.

Bottom fish are moving inshore but except for tautog the seasons are still closed.  Fluke and sea bass open May 22 and scup opens May 24.

In freshwatersss, anglers are discovering that early morning and late afternoons are the best times to find trout, while bass, pickerel and panfish can be caught throughout the day.  Absent even stranger weather conditions, these patterns should hold for the rest of May.

They’re about a week late but the first of the migrating school striped bass started showing up in Buzzards Bay and its tributary rivers.  During the past week, the Agawam and Weweantic Rivers both had moderate runs of school-sized bass, with an occasional keeper mixed in.

There are been a few reports of small basss being caught in Bournes Pond, Waquoit Bay and Cotuit Narrows.  But it’s uncertain whether those were migratory fish or fish that wintered over here.

Most of the Cape’s herring runs have spawning fish and the commercial squid boats are lined up in Falmouth Harbor.  The arrival of bait should be followed very quickly by the larger schools of larger bass.

Tautog have moved inshore and can be found on the ledges and rockpiles of Buzzards Bay or on the wrecks in Nantucket Sound.

In freshwater, trout fishing is superb in any stocked pond.  Water temperatures have also reached the level that largemouth and smallmouth bass are on the prowl.  Topwater plugs have been effective in the evening for both species.

Our apologies for the long time between posts.  Computer problems and an unexpected sabattical by our resident fishing writer prevented our updating of the site.

But we’re back now and here’s the latest.  For saltwater fanatics the striped bass are on the way.  Migrating fish are in NJ but won’t get to local waters for at least three or more weeks.

Ocean temperatures in Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay are still in the low forties.  We need high forties or low fifties to bring the bass in.

For saltwater bottom fishing, tautog will move in from their deepwater winter haunts in about the same time frame.  The old chestnut that “tog” are in when the dandelions bloom often holds true.

In  the meantime, trout fishing is good and getting better.  The local ponds and streams have been stocked at least once.  Powerbait, night crawlers, small metal lures and flies are all working.  With warmer temperatures predicted in the week ahead, freshwater bass probably will also start stirring.

Good luck and check back for regular (we promise) updates.

For fans of the so-called “funny fish” Atlantic bonito began pouring into local waters during the last week of July.  Bonito have been appearing regularly off Oak Bluffs, Edgartown Harbor and the Hedge Fence Shoal.  With a little luck the speedsters will move across the Sound to the south facing beaches of Mashpee and Falmouth.

And if history holds, False Albecore should arrive during the next several weeks.  They’ll crowd out the bonito a bit but there’s plenty of small bait — mostly sand eels — that may keep both species around for August and into September.

Striped bass fishing continues to be night or early morning endeavor.  Anglers pitching eels along the Elizabeth Islands are regularly finding large bass all the way down to Cuttyhunk.

Bluefish, which don’t mind the July-August water temperatures, are roaming everywhere.  For some light tackle fun, try using small lures with barbless hooks on a 7-8 foot spin outfit.  A 5-lb blue will put up quite the fight and can be easily and safely released.

Bottom fishing is good for fluke, sea bass and scup.  As the case has been the last several years, most fluke are short of the 18-1/2-inch legal size.  Sea bass continue to hold over most rocks and wrecks and scup are just about everywhere.

The record heat of June chased some fish from shallow, inshore waters but, for the most part, the striped bass and bluefish bites continued to be very strong.

Keeper-sized bass are being found on most of the Nantucket and Vineyard Sound shoals, and along both sides of the Elizabeth Islands.  Wasque, Squibnocket and Gay Head also have fish but usually fish can be found in shorter drives.

There are many fluke to be caught, except that most are below the 18-1/2-inch legal limit.  With patience and persistence, though, dedicated flukers are bringing home a couple of sih per trip.

Sea bass fishing has slowed but scup are everywhere, with the latter providing guaranteed fish for the young anglers.

Bluefish dominate the waters to the east, with hordes of small blues popping up at any time of the day.  There are even reports of snappers in some of the harbors and bays.

With the weather cooling as we enter July, the Fourth of July holiday weekend is shaping up to be a very good time to fish.

It should have happened weeks ago, but the spring-early summer bite has finally broken out in the waters surrounding Falmouth.  In the past week striped bass — from schoolies to 40-lb cows haave been taken regularly.  The bite was on from Gay Head and Cuttyhunk, along the Elizabeth Islands, through Woods Hole and on to the shoals of Nantucket Sound.

Live scup, jigs and even tube and worm techniques have been working. The bass are also keying on sand eels, which this year have turned up in huge numbers. (Check out the photo gallery for some of the fish that were weighed in this week.)

Most of the past week’s action has been for the boat crowd but beach fishing is slowly turning on.  Small bass and blues have been hitting the beaches most mornings and evenings, with an occasional bigger fish mixed in.  Both plugs and bait are working.

Fluke and sea bass fishing is quite good, although the ratio of legal to sub-legal fish results in many throwbacks.  Lucas Shoal and deepwater holes around Quick’s and Robinson’s are the best bets for keeper fluke. As usual, scup fishing is always a reliable option, particularly for making sure young anglers get some fish.