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.