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.