Eastman’s Sport & Tackle

It was a wild weather week leading up to the July 4th weekend.  Persistent showers and east winds buffeted the Upper Cape as June came to an end.  The winds turned south and southwest as July began, bringing three days of thunderstorms that roared through the area. As a result, a lot of boaters and beach anglers stayed home.

For those who ventured out, there were huge schools of bluefish from Menahaut Beach in Falmouth as far east as Hyannis and Yarmouth.  From shore or boat at any time of day, a top water plugs quickly raised blues that ranged from 4 to 8 pounds.

Anglers seeking bass are heading to the traditional summer hotspots: Gay Head where a fresh pogie or lived-lined scup are the baits of choice; Woods Hole Passage where fresh bait or jigs will produce; or Tom Shoal where jigs and tube and worm are productive.  Anglers willing and able to make a longer trip are heading to the Monomy Flats south of Chatham were big schools of big bass are chasing squid.

Fluke season opened July 1 but shorts greatly outnumbered legal fish, which must be at least 18-1/2 inches.  Small fluke can be caught on the Middle Ground or Lucas Shoal but deep water holes, even over 100-feet, are where the doormats can be found.

Scup fishing continues to be consistent just about everywhere, whether fishing from a boat or a pier or jetty.  Black sea bass fishing has slowed as the fish have left their spawning grounds and spread throughout the local waters.

In the fresh water ponds, trout fishing is pretty much over until the fall.  Fishing for bass, pickerel and panfish is very good.  If there is a silver lining in the dreadful weather, it has kept ocean and pond temperatures remarkably cool for the beginning of July.

The Branham family of New Hampshire had the unfortunate luck of booking a Cape vacation in late June, when the sun seldom shined and the winds blew out of the east and north for days on end.  But for 7-year-old Keegan Branham the conditions actually made for decent shore fishing and netted him his first keeper bass — a 17-pound, 5-ounce striper. Fishing from the rocks below Falmouth Heights, Keegan also caught a second keeper, this one weighing just over 12 pounds.  Check out his picture in our photo gallery.

In-shore waters are finally warming up with striped bass heading for the cooler deeper waters.  Beach anglers will do best during the night or at first light when water temperatures are the coolest. Boat anglers continue to find fish on the Middle Ground but the best bites have come at Tom Shoal, Devil’s Bridge off Gay Head and along the Elizabeth Islands.  Woods Hole Passage is also producing bass.

The bluefish blitz has waned but they can still be found in good numbers from the entrance to Waquoit Bay and to the east.  Look for breaking fish or simply troll a swimming plug.

Scup fishing is very good.  All it takes is a sea worm and little patience to come up with a mess of platter-size scup from almost any jetty or pier.

For fluke anglers, the season will finally open July 1 with a limit of 5 fish at 18-1/2 inches or better.  Those fish will typically be found in the deep water of 50 to even a 100 feet.

Fresh water fishing for bass is slowing down as summer settles in.  Shiners are effective as well as soft plastics bumped along the bottom.  Trout fishing is now matter fishing in the deepest reaches of the local ponds.

The first week of June produced a steady striped bass bite throughout the local waters.  Fish of up to 30 pounds were being taken at Halfway Shoal (western end of L’Hommedieu Shoal), off West Chop and Nobska Light and, when weeds allowed, on top at the Middle Ground.  In fact, on Monday and Tuesday of the past week light tackle anglers boated bass of up to 25 pounds on poppers at the Middle Ground.  Top water plugs also accounted for good catches along the Elizabeth Islands.

As we enter the second week of June, the water temperatures are just about perfect and the bass bite should continue for boat and beach anglers.

Bluefish are prevalent from Menahaut Beach in Falmouth east past South Cape Beach and on to Cotuit.  Blues can be taken most evenings from shore and just about any time from a boat.

Sea bass have completed their spawning run and have dispersed to their summer haunts arounds wrecks and rockpiles.  Scup are just about everywhere; a simple bait rig and a sea worm will almost guarantee a bite.

June has become the high season for saltwater fishing in our local waters.  So get out and enjoy it while the bite lasts.

Just in time for the Memorial Day weekend, fishing for striped bass, bluefish, scup and sea bass has broken wide open.

Bass can be found — and caught — throughout the local waters.  There are large concentrations of 20 to 30-inch fishing chasing bait in Buzzards Bay off the Falmouth beaches.  Just look for the birds if you’re in a boat.  Hit the beaches at dawn or in the evening.

Bigger bass are holding along both sides of the Elizabeth Islands, although not many anglers have ventured down that way yet.  Woods Hole Passage has bass of up to 30 pounds.  And when the tide is right and the weeds are down, rips from Middle Ground to the shoals off Cotuit are holding good numbers of sizable bass.  For boat anglers, jigging has been the most productive method.

Light tackle anglers working the salt ponds and river mouths can catch all the schoolies they want.  If lucky, they’ll also be there when a worm hatch occurs and draws in some very large bass.  A worm fly pattern or small, redish soft plastic is a must.

Bluefish up to eight pounds have invaded South Cape Beach, the flats off Popponnesset and Oregon Beach in Cotuit.  They’ll soon be joined by the smaller blues and both should hang around for the next month.

Scup season opened Saturday (May 24) and early reports indicated a strong of fish just about everywhere.  The sea bass spawning season is drawing to a close so the big “purple heads” are dispersing and a bit harder to find.  But your favorite wreck or rock pile should hold sea bass for the next several weeks.

For the freshwater crowd, it’s bass, bass and more bass.  Largemouth bass have moved onto the spawning beds and can be found just about any time of day in the shallows.  Smallmouth bass are holding deeper in the ponds but are still very active and aggressive.  Trout fishing is slowing down as the pond waters warm.  The best tactic now is to fish deep and early in the morning or late evening.

Fishing around the Falmouth and Upper Cape area is good and about to get better.

The first two weeks of May saw the majority of migrating bass and bluefish traveling through Buzzards Bay and the Cape Cod Canal.  By mid-May, though, the fish have started to show in good numbers throughout Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds.

Bass are following the squid on their spring spawning run, as well as the herring that are still entering the local runs. Legal fish have been caught at the Middle Ground and Succonnesset Shoal.  People righing the night tides at Trunk River report catching bass of up to 40 inches.

Bluefish have also been caught off Popponesset and should make their South Cape Beach run in a day or two.

Sea bass fishing has been good.  By the third week of May the spawning sea bass should be hanging around almost any wreck or rock pile.

Tautog fishing is slowing down but green crabs, which are finally available, will produce good catches of blackfish.

On the fresh water scene, trout fishing is holding up.  Bass and pickerel fishing is really starting to take off.  Shiners or artificial baits are both producing good catches.

In most years, saltwater anglers suffering from a winter’s worth of cabin fever can count on catching the first of migrating striped bass during April.  But not this year.

As of May 1, the big schools of bass had yet to reach the Upper Cape waters.  A few anglers — very few in fact — had reported taking an occasional “schoolie” from early season hotspots: the Cotuit Narrows, the upper reaches of Waquoit Bay, Buttermilk Bay and the Weweantic River in Wareham.  There were even reliable reports of large bass shadowing schools of herring in the Canal.  These fish, however, could very well be holdovers which are now just starating to stir.

The squid have yet to migrate through Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds. Water temperatures are still in the upper 40’s so it may take a few more days and degrees to usher in the migrating fish.  The bass are reportedly as close as Point Judith in Rhode Island.

Tautog fishing has also been off to a slow start, although bigger “tog” did move into Woods Hole this past week. Complicating this fishing is the scarcity of green crabs, which the trappers blame on the colder than normal sea temperatures.

Freshwater fishing, however, has been very good.  Trout fishing in any stocked pond is consistent throughout the day.  Bass and pickerel fishing is also excellent.

Predictions: the school bass will arrive by May 8, the first bluefish will show off South Cape Beach by May 15, and the bigger bass will set up on Middle Ground by May 20.

Welcome to Eastman’s 2009 fishing reports for Falmouuth and the surrounding Upper Cape area.

It’s April 9 and freshwater offers the only real fishing opportunities.  The state has stocked local ponds at least once with primarily rainbows, some browns and a few brookies.  That said, fishing has been slow because of the relatively cool spring weather to date.  A week of sunshine and southwest winds or breezes should significantly improve angling chances.  Until then, Powerbaits, night crawlers or trout worms fished on the bottom are the best bet.  From time to time a live shiner will result in a larger trout (or even a landlocked salmon at Peter’s Pond in Sandwich) or smallmouth bass.  Lure and fly fishermen should also fish slow and deep.  In Falmouth, Grews, Mares and Ashumet ponds have been the most consistent for trout fishermen.

The saltwater season is a week or two away.  Tautog should move inshore to wrecks, rockpiles and piers by the weekend of April 18-19.  Green crabs will be the bait of choice.

Migrating school-sized striped bass should arrive around Patriots’ Day.  In the meantime stripers that wintered over may start feeding in the warmer bays and estuaries.  This morning (April 9) about 2 dozen gulls and another dozen diving sea ducks were working a large school bait fish inside Bourne’s Pond.  Holdover schoolies?  Migrating fish? Good questions?

Striped bass will first show in shallow water over dark bottoms.

By the end of the month keeper-sized bass (28 inches) will be caught and the first bluefish will have arrived.  For the blues and early schoolies, the beaches along South Cape in Mashpee, Poponnesset and Cotuit are early season hot spots.

With the arrival of November,  the 2008 saltwater fishing season is coming to end for the vast majority of anglers.  Most people have pulled their boats from the water and only a handful of hardy anglers are plying the local beaches.

For that dedicated crowd, there are fish to be caught through Thanksgiving.  Most harbors and creeks still have bait and good concentrations of school bass, with the occasional keeper thrown in.

Along the beach fronts and the Woods Hole passage, schools of larger bass are migrating through the area.  The secret is to be there when the fish are there.  To be successful you have to go often and hope to hit the migration just right.  If you do, you’ll be into some great fishing.

The Cape Cod Canal is probably the best bet for late fall striped bass fishing.  Conditions in the Canal require heavy duty tackle but there usually are fish to be caught every day during early November.  If you’re lucky, you just might be there when the fish are up on top from bank to bank.

As the saltwater season winds down, fishing in the fresh water ponds improves.  Trout are much more active than they were just a few weeks ago.  Bass are feeding heavily to fatten up for the winter months.  With the lower water temperatures and lower light levels, ponds can be fished successfully at almost any time of the day.

Striped bass and bluefish are starting their fall migration.  Schools of both species have been passing through the Canal.  At times, the fish have hung around for several days and have provided good action for both plug and bait fisherman.  Bass are also moving through Nantucket Sound and are holding well in Woods Hole and along the Elizabeth Islands.  Smaller fish — up to 35 inches — are being taken on top water plugs.  Drop something live to the bottom and bass of up to 30 lbs are being taken regularly in the Hole and along the Islands.  Nat Chaukley this last week just missed out on a 50-pounder when he used a live pogie to boat a 49-lb, 10-oz bass.

For funny fish fans, the west side between Woods Hole and West Falmouth has featured the best false albacore action during the past several weeks.  Albies and some bonito have also turned up infrequently off the Waquoit jetties and along the south side beaches.

Scup season closed last week but some big scup are still being taken by beach anglers. With the water cooling, tautog should be moving into their fall haunts.  A green crab is the bait of choice.

After weeks of very poor fishing, there are signs that fall fishing may live up to its traditional potential.

Striped bass have started to stir from their deep water haunts.  Schoolies and a few keepers are being caught from the local beaches.  Early morning and late evening anglers are doing the best on bass with bluefish and the occasional shark or dogfish mixed in.

Boat anglers pitching live eels along the Elizabeth Islands are coming up with bass in the 20 to 30-lb range.  Anglers heading to the holes off Gay Head and Squibnocket would be wise to take some fresh pogies.  The commercial crowd chummed and chunked pogies for nearly two months in those spots and that’s what the fish are looking for.

Bonito and albies are still scarce on the Cape side of Nantucket Sound, probably because there is little bait in the water. The ‘funny fish” are holding well around the Vineyard and well as off the west end of the Canal.

Black sea bass fishing, which held up very well during the summer months, continues to be strong. Boat anglers are finding plenty of sea bass around just about any type of structure.

Having suffered through one of the worst August fishing months, everyone has their fingers crossed that these early signs of renewed activity will lead to much better fishing this month and next.