Weekly Fishing Report – July 13 to July 19, 2024
Nantucket
This week presented challenging weather conditions, including thick fog and high winds, particularly on Nantucket. Despite these obstacles, anglers experienced consistent striper fishing at Great Point and Eel Point, with bucktail jigs and dark-colored soft plastics proving effective. Shore anglers found success from Cisco to Madaket/Smith Point, using live eels and various lures. Bluefish activity increased at Great Point and Eel Point, enhancing shark fishing opportunities, with sandbar (brown) sharks providing exciting action.
Martha’s Vineyard
On Martha’s Vineyard, improved weather later in the week made fishing more accessible. Small baitfish like sand eels and silversides were prevalent, contributing to a productive fishing environment. The best bluefish action occurred around Wasque, with fish averaging eight to ten pounds. Striped bass activity was reported on the north shore, with needlefish and swimming plugs being effective, alongside live eels. There were also decent bass bites around Squibnocket and Devil’s Bridge/Gay Head. Bonito fishing was successful down Aquinnah/Gay Head way, with deep-running minnow-style plugs, and trollers using pink or bright chartreuse swimmers around Wasque.
Relevant Video: Buzzards Bay Bonito & Blues
Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay saw good striper fishing along the shoreline from Plymouth to Scituate and Cohasset, where darters, bigger soft plastics, and bottle plugs were effective. Night fishing on the north side of the Cape also yielded bass, with seaworms and chunk mackerel being productive baits. Schools of pogies were found in deeper waters, making deep swimmer bites a good option, and tube-and-worm setups were effective around these schools.
Relevant Video: How-To: Open Water Trolling for Striped Bass | Deep Diving Plugs
Buzzards Bay
In Buzzards Bay, fluke and sea bass were abundant around the Mashnee Flats and the old Canal channel, though many were below the legal size limit. Deeper waters were recommended for better results. Striper and bluefish catches were spotty and unpredictable, but some small bonito were caught around West Falmouth and the bay entrance side of Woods Hole.
Relevant Video: How-To: No Bait Fluke Fishing
Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds
The sounds of Vineyard and Nantucket produced good numbers of small bonito from Cotuit to Harwich, with small Epoxy Jigs and deep-running swimming plugs proving effective. The presence of small baitfish suggested a potentially good season for false albacore. Striper fishing was good in less trafficked spots, with white/bone and amber soft plastics working well. Sea bass and fluke were also caught for dinner.
Woods Hole and the Elizabeths
In Woods Hole and the Elizabeths, good striper fishing continued despite challenging conditions with small bait. Soft plastics and small jigs were effective, and the use of modern electronics helped stay on feeding fish in the fog.
Relevant Video: How To: Striper Fishing 3 Ways – Walk The Dog, Vertical Jigging, Site Casting
South of the Vineyard
South of the Vineyard, tuna action was slow, with poor water quality being a significant factor. A few small bluefin and white marlin were found, but overall, the action was disappointing compared to last year.
Relevant Video: How-To: School Tuna Trolling | Simple 4-Rod Spread
Monomoy
Finally, Monomoy experienced good striper fishing at Handkerchief Shoal and other rips, with white/bone and amber soft plastics proving effective. Good-sized bluefish were also caught. Despite the constant fog, the improved weather later in the week allowed for better fishing conditions.
Relevant Video: Filmed Last Week: Monomoy | Topwater Rips | Micro Topwaters
TL;DR
This week saw a mix of challenging weather and successful fishing across various regions. Nantucket offered consistent striper and bluefish action, with shark fishing also providing excitement. Martha’s Vineyard saw improved fishing conditions later in the week, with notable bluefish and bonito catches. Cape Cod Bay featured good striper fishing along the shoreline, while Buzzards Bay offered fluke and sea bass, though many were below legal size. Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds produced good numbers of small bonito, and Woods Hole and the Elizabeths had productive striper fishing. South of the Vineyard, tuna action was slow, but Monomoy experienced good striper and bluefish catches despite foggy conditions.
Additional Notes
– Striper Techniques: Bucktail jigs and dark-colored soft plastics were particularly effective for striper fishing in various regions.
– Bonito Success: Bonito fishing was notable around Aquinnah/Gay Head and Wasque, with deep-running minnow-style plugs and trollers using pink or bright chartreuse swimmers.
– Fluke Tournament: The Fluke for Luke Fishing Tournament on Martha’s Vineyard saw impressive participation and notable catches, highlighting the growing interest in fluke fishing.
– Technology in Fog: Modern electronics played a crucial role in Woods Hole and the Elizabeths, helping anglers stay on feeding fish in foggy conditions.
– Hydration Awareness: Anglers are reminded of the importance of staying hydrated during fishing trips, especially in hot and humid conditions, to avoid serious health issues.
Hogy Lure Recommendations
1. Hogy Epoxy Jig® Lure
– Reason: Ideal for surface blitzes and targeting bonito, false albacore, and striped bass, as mentioned in multiple regions.
2. Hogy Charter Grade Chug Popper
– Reason: Effective for topwater striper fishing, especially in Woods Hole and the Elizabeths.
3. Hogy Original Series Eels
– Reason: Excellent for targeting striped bass, as highlighted in Cape Cod Bay and other areas.
4. Hogy Protail Paddle
– Reason: Versatile for various species including striped bass and bluefish, suitable for conditions described in Nantucket and Monomoy.
5. Hogy Sand Eel Jig
– Reason: Perfect for vertical jigging and imitating prevalent sand eels in Martha’s Vineyard and Vineyard Sound.
6. Hogy Squinnow Jig
– Reason: Effective for groundfish like sea bass and fluke, relevant to the Buzzards Bay report.
Follow us Here for Daily Report Dispatches:
Full Report by Day
Thursday 7/18/24
I’m kind of kicking myself today because I had to bail out of an invite from Capt. Mike yesterday to join him on an evening trip down the Elizabeths.
Back in the day, Mike and I spent a lot of time fishing together. To be honest, I kind of hate the phrase “a lot” because of its lack of specificity – something that the students in my writing classes discovered pretty quickly – but it works in this case. Whether it was tossing Hogy Originals in the Hole around predawn to scrambling to jump on a boat – usually his – to fish a tide or hunch, we never wavered from our commitment.
Nowadays, Mike has a family and they are, logically and rightfully so, his top priority, followed by the Hogy fishing family. I admire how Mike juggles the practicality of running a real business with the serendipity of raising kids, especially how I have never faced the challenges of either one.
Of course, some folks might argue that I have been in the guiding business for a long time – 26 years to be precise – but if you were privy to the machinations of how it functions, you would discover that it thrives more on whim and chewing gum than numbers and clear thinking.
I’m 20 years older than Mike and clearly at a different stage of my life, one where I thought I would have more time to finally fish for myself. But I’m still guiding and writing, as well as trying to sort out where I am going with whatever time I have left with Kate and the dogs, and those activities and ponderings take up a lot of my time.
And, honestly, my energy just ain’t what it used to be, so as the clock gets closer to the afternoon, I far too often succumb to begging off on plans that earlier in the day had me fired up.
I don’t expect any of this to change with the passage of time – at least in any significant way – but I am beginning to recognize the need to simplify my daily practices and make sure to prioritize those that feed my soul, like actually fishing alongside of scribbling and talking about it.
BONITO IN ALL THE RIGHT PLACES
If you have spent as much time as I have compiling fishing news based on geography, you eventually come to realize the artifice of watery boundaries, mainly because, as the saying goes, “Fish have tails.” Sometimes they’re here today and gone tomorrow while on other occasions they will hold in a certain location for days on end.
There are plenty of reasons for the often frustrating unpredictability of these finny critters, with a perfect example this season being the general lack of tuna in the area that most anglers refer to as “south of the Vineyard.” Obviously, taken literally, the waters south of Martha’s island extend all the way to the Antarctic, but most folks realize that in truth they include relatively close in areas with names such as the Dump, the Claw, the Star, the Fingers, and others. Last year, the tuna bite – especially for bluefin – was epic in these waters, but this season, they have been at the other end of the spectrum – pretty much dead.
A few folks have found some small bluefin and white marlin, but overall pretty much every boat that has ventured south has returned with tales of woe – and empty fish boxes.
No doubt there are many opinions as to why this is, with the one that resonates with me having to do with plankton blooms and the quality of water. Anyone who fishes “offshore” – and good luck defining that with any precision – is at least familiar with the meaning and significance of water color and clarity.
Frankly, when I heard that the water south of the Vineyard was green, I thought this was a good thing. As an inshore angler, I welcome the change in the tint of waters from winter steel blue to welcoming green as spring arrives, but apparently that doesn’t necessarily signify something positive where the tuna, billfish, and sharks roam.
Heck, I just assumed that once you found flotsam like a piece of wood – a telephone pole, remnants of a dock, or even packing containers from a freighter being high on the list – you were in the money when it comes to catching mahi, one of the most prolific species offshore. Patches of seaweed or lines of it that follow current contours are mahi magnets from what I have been told, but I spoke with a few folks who fished around the Dump and apparently hit the jackpot, finding both floating junk and mats of sargasso, only to find no fish in the green water thereabouts.
I’m glad that I’m not addicted to offshore fishing as so many people I know are since the signs and structure out a yonder are so amorphous, but I am aware of how what is going on out there can impact the waters where small boats like mine roam.
And at the moment, whether it is a push of warm water or small bait or who knows what else, the bonito fishery has exploded in parts of Nantucket and Vineyard Sounds – although one of the best reports I received came from Wasque and I’ll be damned if I can tell you whether these shoals are in Nantucket Sound or where to the south that sound ends technically.
Then again, who cares? All that counts is that Capt. Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing Cape Cod had a great trip there today, catching plenty of bones and a few bluefish as well. I also am well aware that a popular and productive bonito area known as the Hooter, where a whistle buoy that “hoots” marks the southerly end of Muskeget Channel, borders the Wasque Shoals – so Ben could have been in that area.
While casting to breaking bonito is a common approach close to the shores of the Vineyard and the southside of the Cape, trolling deep diving swimming plugs that are designed for high speed applications is de rigeur at the Hooter and – sure enough – Ben told me they were dragging chartreuse and white jointed swimmers.
For reasons that escape me, once you get inside the sounds proper – wherever that is – you will find areas such as Hedge Fence and Middle Ground where trolling these types of plugs is practiced by a handful of folks, but as I said above, casting jigs and flies for funny fish is just the way the majority of anglers target them inshore.
That is, unless you are on Nantucket, where casting smaller swimming plugs at spots such as the Bonito Bar or Great Point is the way it’s done.
Now, for a lot of people, running to Wasque, never mind the Hooter, is not even a consideration; I couldn’t tell you if it is the distance, the amount of fuel burned, or unfamiliarity with the area, but trying to convince someone to change his or her mindset on this matter – no matter how good the fishing is – is a game I will not engage in.
So, I am just as happy to report that the bonito bite is on close to the southside shoreline of the Cape according to Amy Wrightson from the Sports Port in Hyannis, which typically means between Falmouth and Yarmouth. Amy added that there have also been some Spanish mackerel caught in the Yarmouth area, but if the past is any predictor of the present, they will show in good numbers from Osterville to Craigville.
Trolling is certainly an effective approach to consider and far more relaxing than pursuing or waiting for breaking fish – an approach that severely limits your chances of hooking up. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but seeing someone standing in a boat and waiting for the fish show again brings a sly smile to my face. Since fish swim – and funny fish of all types generally do so very quickly – the odds that they are going to resurface too far to reach with a cast are greater than them popping up nearby to say hello.
Nobody likes to sound like a broken record, but I play this role every year at this time when I point out that in an average year, people on my boat catch more albies and bones while blindcasting. It doesn’t make a difference if they are using spinning gear or unrolling a fly line, this holds true.
It makes so much sense, but keeping your lure or fly in the water will help you catch more fish than having the former dangling from the tip of your rod or the latter between your fingers while the line is on the deck.
You are going to have times when you are casting a lure into likely looking water when a school blows up that you could reach if you hadn’t just cast, but that’s life.
That’s also why fly fishing can be more productive – if you use a floating line and are adept at a long line pick up, allowing you to pick the line up and reposition your fly at a surprising distance.
Capt. Scott Hamilton, who is well known in the waters from Palm Beach to Jupiter, Florida for putting his clients on albies, pointed out what might seem like common sense when selecting a floating line: pick lines that are neutral in color like tan, light blue, light green, or light yellow as opposed to garish ones that are bright orange, red, or even shocking chartreuse. As he said, “I know that people buy those flashy lines because they allow them to know where their fly is, but if they can see them, then the fish can, too.” Even when choosing backing, I would choose white over something shocking.
Of course, more and more fly line companies are producing clear floating lines, but given that in most cases these are intended for tropical, warm water applications, they might be tough to handle in the colder water of the northeast.
The long line pickup can also be used with an intermediate line, with many folks believing a clear model of this slow sinking design providing an advantage given how well funny fish see and producing a “tighter” connection to the fly. But many manufacturers make lines that feature clear intermediate heads with floating shooting sections that are the best of both worlds.
When it comes to spinning for bonito or false albacore, accuracy and distance can and most likely will play a role in how successful you are, but how you retrieve your offering might be even more important – assuming you got it into the fish.
How many times have you heard an angler on another boat yelling excitedly, “I’m in them!” as he or she reels at warp speed, followed by, “(expletive deleted) I can’t believe I didn’t hook up!”
Ask yourself, when you are retrieving your lure that quickly, how long are you actually presenting it to the fish? Funny fish, as members of the tuna family, swim very fast, but they are also opportunistic and will return to the scene of a feed to pick up stunned or injured bait. That’s why soft plastics can be such a great option since they can hold up in the strike zone longer.
On the other hand, casting distance is typically an issue with this type of lure, although you can add internal weighting to help deal with this limitation. To this day, the seven-inch Original Hogy, especially in amber, is one of my favorite albie lures, especially when blindcasting. By keeping your rod tip way up and reeling at a good clip, it will skip on the surface and create all kinds of commotion that gets the bite.
It’s the same case when using casting jigs like the Hogy Epoxy Jig. I have definitely seen when a certain color or size just outshines others, but more often, it’s retrieve speed and rod action that results in more fish. When casting into breaking fish, a low rod tip – sometimes even in the water – will often get you a hook up, but when blindcasting or covering water where the fish just sounded, a SKIPPY CAST that mimics a fleeing baitfish will produce that satisfying toilet bowl flush.
WOODS HOLE AND THE ELIZABETHS
As I mentioned earlier, I passed on fishing with Capt. Mike yesterday evening and I just knew that this morning I would hear about the great trip that he had.
Now that I think about it, that thought might have been what caused me to fall out of the bed last night!
Seriously, Mike and first mate and videographer Dante Borgese had an epic trip, one that is even more impressive given that they were dealing with sipping stripers and really small bait.
If there has been a common refrain the last couple of weeks, it’s been how often people have encountered fish that are keyed in on tiny sand eels, silversides, and the like.
It would be a mistake to assume that the bass and occasional bluefish would be on the small side, but there are plenty of slot sized stripers to be caught as well as the occasional 40+ inch bass or gorilla blue.
In these kinds of situations, I most often turn to small soft plastics either unweighted or attached to ultralight jigheads, but Mike is nothing if not an innovator and he “cracked the code” and his explanation of why it worked was – well, there’s no other way to put, elegant in its simplicity.
Hogy recently introduced the Charter Grade Chug Popper, both in a Micro size and a Tuna model. The former is 3.5 inches and weighs ½ ounce; it floats and the oversized cup face produces plenty of commotion.
Unfortunately, many anglers make the mistake of assuming that a popping plug has to be retrieved continuously – often way too quickly – to be effective.
But facing these actively, yet quietly, surface feeding fish, Mike cast an amber Chug Popper in their vicinity, letting it settle before giving it a pop – and then it was fish on.
Now, in my mind it was what I like to call the “No Retrieve Retrieve” that was key, but Mike had removed the tail hook on his plug and replaced it with a flag – and as the plug wobbled after being popped, Mike is convinced that it was the flag which the bass were targeting.
Wednesday 7/17/14
I can’t believe how fast July is passing by, but in retrospect, I have this weird sense that this has been the pattern for all of 2024.
As we near the middle of the fishing rodeo and folks start to gear up for what hopefully will be a satisfying funny fish season, I wonder how many people are giving any thought to the condition of their tackle?
The other day I was fishing with a friend and there was a familiar whirring or whooshing sound coming from his spinning reel and I immediately recognized where it was coming from: the line roller bearing.
I can’t provide any definitive quantitative evidence, but in my time working on reels – both mine and my friends – this bearing is at the top of the list when it comes to those that need heavy duty cleaning and re-lubing or replacement.
There are so many facets to consider when dealing with a cranky line roller bearing that I won’t go over them in too much detail, but if the reel is relatively new and it has a shielded or open bearing, the solution might be as simple as taking the line roller assembly apart to get at the bearing and placing a drop or two of oil on it and spinning it to allow the lubricant to penetrate.
In an older reel, if you add some oil and it still is rough and noisy, then you might want to consider replacing it or removing the shields and for a thorough cleaning, which can be done in different ways.
Many companies now used rubber sealed bearings in the line roller assembly and elsewhere in the reel; generally, with this type of BB you have to remove the seal to add any lubricant or clean it.
If you have dunked your reel and it is not sealed at all, you hopefully washed and rinsed it thoroughly. If so, it might be running fine but over time if any salt water got into the gear case, corrosion is going to form and waiting until the end of the season might not be worth the gamble if you end up with a seized or extremely rough reel as we get into albie and bonito season as well as the fall run.
Most modern spinning reels have a rubber plunger on the drag knob which helps seal out water intrusion, but you must remember to tighten the knob down thoroughly if you are in the habit of washing your equipment for it to do its job. Saltwater sized spinners feature synthetic drag washers that work really well, but again, if you suspect that water has worked its way into the drag stack, resulting in an inconsistent, sticky drag, it is worth removing the spool from the reel and accessing the washers that are usually held in place by some sort of metal spring clip.
It’s personal preference when it comes to using drag grease on manmade washers, but I believe that anything which can reduce heat and stickiness is worth investing in.
Smaller spinning reels that span both saltwater and freshwater most often use felt washers; these require regular oiling. If you remove the drag knob and notice that there is fuzz growing out of the top of the drag stack, this is the result of the felt wearing, meaning the drag most likely has lost some of its performance qualities and replacing the material washers might be a good investment.
I am a dinosaur when it comes to line and I replace the monofilament pretty much weekly or after a tough trip; if you use this type of line as well, it might be worth respooling at this point in the season since mono is susceptible to wear and loss of breaking strength due to the corrosive effects of the sun and salt water.
Due to the higher costs of braid, most anglers who use it won’t change it as often as the mono or co-polymer crowd. Of course, they have a solution which is to remove the line from the spool and reversing it as you respool, putting the worn stuff underneath and the braid that hasn’t seen the light of day on top where it will face the rigors of repeated casting and retrieving.
If your rod has a guide that is looking shaky – with the frame bent and cracked or the guide fails the eye test -or your line snaps for some unknown reason, change it immediately, not later, as when pursuing tough saltwater fish, any weakness in your gear can be exposed under the strain of a good fish, and failing proper attention on your part, will fail due to improper attention to details.
NANTUCKET
Capt. Corey Gammill thoughtfully addressed what is a primary concern along the south facing beaches on the island – that being debris from a damage or material failure on one of the structures that comprise the Vineyard Wind project.
But fishing comes first and Corey acknowledged that the fishing has slowed with the push of hotter, more humid conditions.
On a positive note, the good captain said that they have seen a push of new bait in local waters, in this case very small sand eels. In turn, the bluefish activity has picked up around these schools of bait, although “it isn’t where it usually is at this point and where we need it to be,” he explained.
The fog and heat has impacted the fishing for bass in a big way, although he heard that shore crew are picking at fish. For them, it is definitely a night bite and using deeper presentations such as bucktail jigs, weighted soft plastics, and deeper diving swimmers is a good idea.
Out east, some of the rips have slowed way down with a push of warmer water from the south, with calm, sunny or hazy days resulting in lazy, picky stripers. On the other hand, if there is wind and swell, the bass fishing has been pretty good.
As a whole, Corey used “mediocre” or “average” to describe the fishing at the moment, with charters that do mainly shorter trips struggling to find fish, while ones that typically take folks out for five or more hours managing to put together a good trip.
There has also been some good sea bass fishing around the west end; in fact, what Corey described sounds suspiciously like what I found around Wasque on Sunday and Monday as large concentrations of tiny sand eels resulted in lots of BSB throughout the water column, with many of them on the small size.
SOUTH OF THE VINEYARD
Whether it’s fog or high winds, not a lot of boats are venturing out in hopes of finding recreational size tuna. Overall, Steve Morris from Dick’s Bait & Tackle in Oak Bluffs dejectedly said that the action never really got started and that leaves anglers wondering if this year is going to shape at the opposite end of the scale from last year when the action was epic and bluefin were being caught just south of Noman’s.
One issue that a number of boats spoke about was the poor water quality; you hear folks talk about deep blue water to the east of the island, but remember that powerful weather conditions and strong currents have combined to produce a lot of green water that tuna and even billfish will avoid if possible.
NANTUCKET SOUND
Perhaps it’s a result of a strong southerly flow that has drawn in ever increasing numbers of small bonito. This species is typically less picky and gunshy when they are in their juvenile stage and finding bait, which at the moment is not a gimme.
The word from Capt. Mike is that the waters from Cotuit to Harwich are producing good number of small bones feeding on small forage, while he also told me that fishing up north around Provincetown and into is so good that boaters are talking about catches of 20 or more on small Epoxy Jigs while casting or trolling smaller, deep running swimming plugs that do very well in waters with heavier current and cleaner water.
Tuesday 7/16/24
One of the advantages of working for someone like Capt. Mike is that no matter how much we might disagree about a subject, we always engage in a respectful dialogue and listen thoroughly to the other’s point of view.
For me, I always leave our discussions having learned something new, often including a take that I had never considered. I am, often to a fault, pretty darn stubborn, so I am not often swayed entirely from my perspective, but Mike is very good at revealing and explaining how it can be modified in a meaningful way.
Today was a perfect example as I engaged in a bit of rant regarding a style of plug from another builder other than Hogy. In short, I just can’t get it to work in a way that convinces fish to take it.
Two of Mike’s favorite phrases when it comes to working on solving a fishing challenge are “cracking the code” and “dialing it in.” I have little doubt that he uses these words when dealing with other scenarios in his life, but one of my favorite ways of busting his chops is when he is talking about how he worked around a problem and before he finishes, I interject with: “Oh, you mean you dialed it in” or “that’s pretty cool that you cracked the code.”
Now, I realize that Hogy makes a lure that is similar in design to the plug that I am struggling with and it might be best that I put my efforts into learning the nuances and skills that make Mike’s version work so well for him.
Our conversation this afternoon eventually shifted to the idea of confidence in a given lure and how it is often possible that we create a self-fulfilling prophecy because we use the same offering without giving a new one a real chance.
It’s easy to have faith that a plug or fly is going to work because I pretty much always reach for it when the fishing is good. The end result is I believe in it.
On the other hand, if the fishing is slow, I might decide to give something new a shot. If I don’t end up catching anything with it, I put it away and its “failure” confirms in my mind that it isn’t something I can count on.
In the long run, it takes a certain level of commitment to sticking with an unknown quantity when the fish aren’t cooperating, trying different retrieves, rod actions, rod angles, and even the level of slack or tautness in the line when moving it through the water.
Mike reminded me that it’s important to give something new the time it might need to prove its worthiness or even admit that it’s my attitude that is more of an issue than a piece of plastic or wood or a hook adorned with a variety of natural and artificial materials.
After all, it’s hard to admit that the reason something isn’t working is a result of my impatience or unwillingness to work at learning how to unlock its secrets.
Sometimes, we can’t move forward as anglers – or as human beings – if we don’t get out of our own way.
WOODS HOLE AND THE ELIZABETHS
My distaste for being overly reliant on modern electronics is a common theme in my writing, but I have to acknowledge that Ken Shwartz offered up some solid evidence for how they can turn the tables in a challenging situation.
So far this season, I have encountered more bass feeding on small bait in areas I never did before that I at first kept trying to figure out why the numbers of tiny silversides, sand eels, and a baitfish that I yet to discover the name of were so prevalent.
I liked the effort of trying to “crack the code” and succeeded more than I failed, but sometimes the best choice was to keep reaching for something different until I either coaxed a fish into eating or got tired of trying, bowing in respect to the power of the tiny brain that a fish possesses in comparison to my normally awe inspiring smarts.
Ken told me that last Sunday, he and some friends made the trip to and through Robinson’s Hole without the fog being much of a problem. But that all changed when they got into Vineyard Sound and were enveloped in sodden conditions with extremely limited visibility.
While slowing working towards Quick’s, they happened upon a small group of active terns that were clearly working over actively feeding fish that were driving bait to the surface.
That said, they soon realized how difficult it was to stay with this active fishery as the birds and bass disappeared frequently into the fog, often way too quickly for them to get a cast off.
Fortunately, the boat they were fishing on had a powerful open array radar set up and with a little fine tuning, they were able to see the birds on the screen and stay with them. Ken added that one time, once they located their avian assistants, they noticed they were moving towards their boat. The wise choice was to sit still and sure enough, they were surrounded by happy fish.
Ken pointed out that before they went the radar route, they shut the engines down and listened for the terns’ excited cries, but in the fog, determining distance and direction was too much of a crap shoot. So, I guess, I’ll have to chalk one up for the wonders of modern technology.
By the way, Ken has been experimenting with putting internal weights into his soft plastics to gain added casting distance and accuracy, something that can really help when a long, quick cast is critical to catching fish – fog or no fog.
BUZZARDS BAY
Connor Swartz from Red Top in Buzzards Bay elected to try some groundfishing over the weekend, particularly around the Mashnee Flats and the old Canal channel, and he found plenty of fluke and sea bass. But he was quick to point out that every one of both species they brought to the boat fell well belong the legal minimum sizes.
That said, Connor offered up a common refrain recently about the need to try deeper water if the goal is to bring home dinner. Water temperatures are on the rise and the fishy scientist folks believe “summer flounder, also known as fluke, are most active in water temperatures between 62° and 66° Fahrenheit, but they can generally be caught in temperatures ranging from 56° to 72° Fahrenheit.”
It’s important to remember that fluke are aggressive and fond of hardscrabble bottom where they can benefit from their ability to disguise themselves and wait in ambush for unfortunate baitfish to swim by or get swept along with the current.
Both bass and bluefish are spotty and unpredictable both inshore and in open water, but Connor has heard of some small bonito being caught around West Falmouth and in the bay entrance side of Woods Hole.
CAPE COD BAY
One thing I am always reminded of when talking with Connor is that CCB includes the waters all the way up the south shore of the mainland. This shoreline, unlike the north side of the Cape, features plenty of rocky structure that holds many food sources that stripers prefer. Darters, bigger soft plastics, and bottle plugs are plugs that he and his fishing buddy, Ian Lumsford, find very effective from Plymouth up to Scituate and Cohasset, as well as waters where the line between Cape Cod and Massachusetts Bays becomes blurred. There are pogy schools in these waters, although not as widespread and in such great quantities as two years ago.
There are bass being caught from the sand beaches on the northside of the Cape and fishing at night is definitely key as it is along the South Shore, but fishing bait such as seaworms and chunk mackerel is more likely to result in catching from Old Harbor to Barnstable. If I were going to go the artificial route as part of a sight casting trip, I would opt for eel or sand eel type soft plastics in white/bone or pink.
Pogies are often associated with inshore waters, whether they are bays, harbors, rivers, or salt ponds, but Connor explained that schools of them have been hanging in much deeper water in Cape Cod Bay this season, sometimes upwards of 50 or 60 feet. That has made the deep swimmer bite a good option at the moment, both in mackerel or pogy colorations, while snagging and livelining them is far more challenging in these kinds of depths.
Seaworm sales remain robust and Connor confirmed that they are still selling a lot of tube-and-worm outfits and rigs to recreational anglers – as well as answering plenty of questions about how to fish them. Many years ago, a well-known practitioner of tube trolling told me that fishing them low and slow is a good place to start, with observing the curve in the line from the rod tip to where it enters the water a key. If it’s straight and taut, you would be going too fast, he advised, causing the lure to spin or swim too erratically.
At one time I used to fish tubes close to shore along the Elizabeths the way Jim Young suggested: letting out or reeling up line based on the constantly changing depth and the need to weave in and out of sticky situations; lead core line is a perfect choice for this since it changes colors every ten yards and the captain can issue directions regarding whether to reel up a color or free spool one or more . On the other hand, from Sandwich to Barnstable, holding a steady course will keep your tubes swimming at the right depth, with only an occasional need to change how much is streaming behind the boat. Over sandy bottom, it is easier to mark fish, so whoever is running the boat should keep his or her eyes on the sonar screen and along with calling for more or less line, the sharpies will take the boat out of gear and allow the rig to drop to the fish; this can also be done if you are fishing braid and using Hogy Trolling Weights to get the desired depth.
On the other hand, trying to do this with wire line is not really a good idea. Since getting wire off the spool requires putting the reel into free spool and using the forward momentum of the boat to pull it off under control, when your boat stops moving, only an experienced, educated thumb can keep the springy stuff from going haywire.
Monday 7/15/24
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you fish too much squinting through thick fog and then broiling under an unforgiving sun – after arising at 3 AM for several days in a row – you reach a point where you literally pass out.
Yesterday, I headed up around 5 PM to take nap and asked Kate to wake me at 7 so I could watch the Argentina vs. Colombia soccer match – and didn’t rustle until after midnight. As she told me later, I was so dead to the world that she didn’t want to wake me and in reality she probably couldn’t have.
I didn’t have the chance to take a shower before going nighty night and anyone who spends a substantial amount of time on the water will tell you that the salt envelopes every inch of your skin and only exacerbates your fatigue.
Fortunately, the one thing I didn’t have to worry about was a lack of proper hydration; a couple of years ago, I personally experienced what can happen if you don’t take in enough fluids.
If you fail to hydrate sufficiently, some strange chemical processes happen in your body, apparently, and none of them are good. At one time, I was so bad at not consuming enough fluids that as I entered Falmouth Harbor with a group of anglers, I suddenly felt light headed and pulled back on the throttle into neutral – just before leaning over the side and wretching.
It was mostly a case of dry heaves, but I will never forget the look on the face of the young boy who was on the trip as I turned around to sit on the gunwale. I was sweating due to the heat and humidity when my episode began, but I suspect that my pallor and suddenly dry skin were especially frightening.
After guzzling a large bottle of water, I resumed command and docked the boat, apologizing profusely to everyone on board. We said our goodbyes, I backed my rig down the ramp, and my boat slid onto the trailer without a problem.
I, on the other hand, needed to consume more water and did so before making my way home slowly and carefully.
Once there, I made a beeline for the door and once I felt the cool breeze from the air conditioner, I thought my problems were behind me.
You know the old saying, “I should be so lucky”?
Well, I wasn’t and after relieving myself and pondering how my urine could be such a strange color, I collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep. Eventually, Kate got home and woke me up – although my head hurt so much that I wasn’t sure that this was a good thing.
In the end, I ended up at Falmouth Hospital in the emergency room where they introduced two bags of IV fluid into my system.
Suffice it so say, I’m not a big fan of needles, so I have become much better at consuming liquids – mainly water that I often add a special electrolyte product to – and staying with it throughout a trip.
Someone explained to me that once you feel the effects of serious dehydration, you could be in real trouble and need to seek immediate medical attention.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of drinking water, but to this day I only need recall what that youngster probably felt when the captain most likely looked as if he were a zombie.
We are in for more of this hellacious stretch of weather, so keep the water or one of those hydration products coming. You’ll thank me for the advice.
THE CANAL
I received an important request from Jeff Miller at Canal Bait and Tackle in Sagamore to remind anglers that the bag limit for mackerel is 20 fish of any size per day; from what he has heard, he’s not sure if folks understand this. Shore anglers have been catching macks around the east end, especially around the bulkhead, with the key being that you make sure to have your sabiki – or Hogy Jig Biki Rig – right on the bottom.
Prior to that last couple of mornings, most of the striper action in the Big Ditch has been on mackerel, hence the emphasis on catching fresh ones. That said, in a pinch, frozen mackerel will do the trick, especially if a shop has managed to get theirs from a local boat and can freeze it quickly.
But yesterday and today, the Canal had bass on top right at sun up. The east end was better than the west end, but Jeff did hear of a few topwater bass around the railroad bridge.
No matter where you fished in the land cut, “everything has been mackerel the past two days,” Jeff continued. To be even more specific, whether someone is using heavy, five ounces jigs or surface plugs, “green mackerel is key.”
When it comes to fishing the dark hours, a few of the regulars have been jigging, but “live and fresh dead eels were the best sellers last weekend for sure,” Jeff added. In the old days, eelskin rigs ruled the Canal and I suppose it’s possible that there are a few folks who still know how to skin an eel and drape it over a rig, but I also wonder if any hardcores fish rigged whole eels.
Large, tandem rigged eel style soft plastics are popular among shore anglers looking for bigger bass and several years ago well-known Rhode Island surfcaster Steve McKenna only used black soft plastics that he rigged himself in the same manner as a dead eel – except for the addition of nail weights in strategic locations – and he caught just as many bass with the ersatz eels as the real ones – including live eels.
CAPE COD BAY
Tomorrow is another day when bass can be caught to sell by license holding anglers and Jeff Miller heard that along with the bite in the Plymouth area, schools of stripers have been targeting the schools of pogies close to shore from Springhill Beach to Sandy Neck and that means there will be some scouting going on this evening to get a bead on where the bait is holding.
Then again, there are some hardcores who will be out tonight waiting for the fishing to legally start after midnight, although it has always been my understanding that locating pogies – or menhaden or bunker – is a visual thing.
My nephew Frank and his son, Wes, tried their hand at trolling the tube-and-worm from inside Barnstable Harbor and along Sandy Neck, reporting that there were a number of charter boats working the latter area as well.
After trolling a while, they changed over to casting plugs and soft plastics and happened upon a good size school of slot sized fish in the vicinity of the parking lot; Frank told me that he got the impression that these fish were just cruising and not really actively feeding.
BUZZARDS BAY
The word from Nick Santolucito at M & D Outfitters in Wareham is that most of the fishing has been for fluke; yesterday he sold plenty of squid and scented soft plastics to people targeting summer flounder, especially with the size of some of the doormats being caught around the west entrance to the Canal.
Seaworm sales were also robust for folks targeting scup, both from shore and boat, and a few boaters continue to troll the edges outside the marked Canal with the tube-and-worm.
Bluefish have been tough to find this entire season, but Evan Eastman from Eastman’s Sport & Tackle on Main Street in Falmouth heard that there have been some schools in the bay just outside Woods Hole on up to West Falmouth.
One common thread wherever I have fished personally and that folks I spoke to confirmed is that there is a lot of small bait around, which could very be a good sign for funny fish season. Nick has been selling more lures geared towards bonito and albies, meaning items such as Hogy Epoxy Jigs, Heavy Metal Jigs, Chovy Jigs, and Peanut Bunker Jigs.
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Speaking of funny fish, Steve Morris from Dick’s Bait & Tackle in Oak Bluffs reported that there was a good bonito bite down Aquinnah/Gay Head way. Unlike the shallower waters from Vineyard Haven to Edgartown and along East Beach, folks do a lot more trolling for bones from Squibnocket to Gay Head, especially with deep running minnow style plugs.
Meanwhile, out around Wasque, there were a number of bonito caught by trollers yesterday, Julian Pepper from Larry’s Tackle in Edgartown told me, with the most popular lures pink or bright chartreuse deep running swimmers. Most years, the area known as the Hooter is a hot spot for bonito, but I have been at Wasque the last two days and the amount of small bait – mainly sand eels – has been impressive and this baitfish is a real favorite of bones.
These same style and color swimmers are also popular, Julian noted, for inexperienced anglers to target bluefish in areas such as East Beach, Tom Shoal, and Wasque, as well as the deeper troughs on both sides of the shoals in the sounds.
My two trips to Wasque were characterized by a lot of terns working over small bait while a mix of stripers, bluefish, and sea bass provided willing targets.
Yesterday, the rips were going pretty well, but they weren’t as big as today. That allowed us to target stripers with small pink soft plastics on small (1/8 to ¼ ounce) jigheads fished on my favorite light rods and 3000 size reels spooled with eight pound mono and 15 pound fluorocarbon leaders. We also lucked out and landed a few small bluefish along with some sizeable sea bass.
Today, the rougher conditions made it tougher to keep contact with the light jigs and we actually got chopped off by a bluefish without feeling a thing and had another rig nicked up.
Fortunately, I had Lily Shane on board, aka the Chicago Flash. This was Lily’s first time fishing the Cape’s waters and she caught bass, sea bass, and even some friendly sea robins, all while casting in some lumpy conditions.
Overall, there seemed to be more blues than bass, although we managed a nice bass on a pink Hogy Surface Eraser that hit right at the boat. In all honesty, I am still “learning” this plug and I have yet to crack the code as completely as Capt. Mike has. As with any lure that is new to me, it takes some time for me to become comfortable and confident with it and our experience today suggests that I may have been working them too quickly.
What I can say with confidence is that this plug casts incredible for its size and has a great action, but it also does a great job as a vertical jigging option. There were still terns around, a good sign that we were fishing on small bait again, and there were fish showing on top, but other than the occasional hit on a plug worked along the surface, I really needed to rethink my surface fishing approach.
So, we let the Surface Eraser sink and started to catch some really nice sea bass, which actually seemed to be creating a lot of the commotion on top as well as throughout the water column. Pink seemed to be the hot color again as we also did well with slightly larger soft plastics rigged on heavier jigheads to maintain contact.
Finally, this past weekend’s Fluke for Luke was a big success; for the second year in a row, Julian came in second with an 8.28 pound fluke that measured 26.5 inches, was 11 inches across, and two inches thick. On Saturday, he and his boatmates also caught two six plus pounders and a few in the five pound class. The winning fish weighted just over nine pounds and was caught by another island angler. Last year, there were over 300 anglers entered and Julian believes that they topped that number in this year’s event.
According to Steve, a four pound sea bass took first place in that category in the tournament and the overall quality of the leading fish once again proved that the folks who finish at the top of the leaderboard continue to hone their technical skills when targeting these species.
Along with all of the sand eels around, Steve added that he was amazed at the number of tiny silversides he saw around State Beach over the weekend. Given that these baitfish are another favorite of bonito and albies, is it possible that we are in for an epic season for these two species?
Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
MONOMOY
Oh, to be young again. Many years ago I undertook a day similar to the one Capt. Ben Sussman of In The Net Sportfishing Cape Cod did yesterday. Due to the horrible weather last week and prospects for things to finally improve Sunday, Ben did three trips to Monomoy, starting at 5 AM and finally getting home at 9 PM.
Unfortunately, the one constant all day was the fog and Ben elected to fish in spots with the least amount of boat traffic as there was some highly questionable boat operation, especially to the east of the point.
On his first trip, Ben put his anglers on a number of bass at Handkerchief Shoal; white/bone and amber soft plastics worked best. They also caught some sea bass and fluke for dinner.
Unlike the morning trip when they were fishing incoming water, the second one took place during the warmer, outgoing period and Ben had to bounce around to a number of different rips, but they put together a mixed bag of bass and a nice bluefish.
The final voyage out east again featured an incoming flow and they caught a number of slot sized bass and even managed some good sized dogfish, which might be a nuisance to locals, but catching sharks of any kind can be a lot of fun for anglers going on their first Cape Cod fishing trip.
Despite what some folks might want us to believe, the reality is that unlike a healthy bass population which features good numbers of fish in many, many locations, at the moment there is definitely a concentration of stripers in far fewer areas. Along with that comes a lot more boats in these areas – with Monomoy at the moment seeing so much pressure that it’s a good thing that there are so many rips that you can choose.
As for fog, that’s another matter, but I can tell you from experience that it can be pretty unnerving when somebody blows through going way too fast. Adrenaline is a great thing at that point, making you hyper vigilant, but it sure makes you rethink fishing on weekends.
Sunday 7/14/24
If I were a betting man and had money to burn, I would wager that tomorrow there will be more boats on the water – fishing and otherwise – than there had been pretty much all of last week.
With light winds forecast starting out of the northwest and coming around southwest as the day progresses, as well as plenty of sunshine, I know that I just have to be out looking for fish.
After a rough stretch of weather and wind kept me huddled in my basement fiddling with cranky line rollers on my spinning reels and trying to remember how to tie some of my favorite flies along with whipping up some flags for my Hogy plugs, it sure is going to be good to be standing on my boat’s deck rather than a concrete floor.
The latest forecast contained some warnings about patch fog in the AM, which only makes sense since the dew point at 6 PM was 74 degrees Fahrenheit and the air temperature was 73.4 degrees Fahrenheit. According to what I was able to read, when those measurements are within 5 degrees of each other, the air becomes saturated and fog can form.
I spent a fair amount of time in this week’s report introductions speaking about navigating in limited visibility – which includes fog – and appreciate the comments of folks who recognize the importance of this subject.
In a number of cases, they related tales of near misses resulting from people not following the most basic rules when out in fog, heavy rain, or at night.
One person emphasized the importance of using your VHF when out in the fog and this is always driven home to me when monitoring the communication from Steamship Authority vessels when visibility is limited, especially when I am fishing in the Woods Hole area.
Channel 16 (156.8 MHz) VHF-FM is designated by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) as the national distress, safety and calling frequency. All vessels must monitor this channel while underway.
The point about monitoring Channel 16 is especially critical since I know far too many people who never even turn on their VHF when boating, or if they do, it isn’t set to Channel 16 when they are underway.
Many people confuse underway with making way, especially in regard to whether a vessel’s engine(s) are running or not. A ship or boat is underway if it is not anchored, made fast to the shore, or aground, but remember that its engines or propulsion system can be running in any of those scenarios.
Everything changes when the engines or propulsion system is moving a ship or boat in any direction, it is then underway and making way. In comparison, a boat that is drifting is considered underway, but it is not making way even if its engines are running.
Frankly, keeping your VHF on and set to Channel 16 at all times – whether as a stand alone frequency or as part of a VHF’s function that continuously rotates various frequencies entered by its operator – should be an absolute must if you are a responsible mariner.
BUZZARDS BAY
Like everyone I spoke to today, Nick Santolucito at M & D Outfitter in Wareham reported that folks were in buying bait and equipment today in anticipation of getting out on tomorrow.
The water temperature in Woods Hole was 73.8 degrees at 6 PM and the prediction for water temperature at the west end of the Cape Cod Canal is 70 degrees through midweek before jumping to 74 by Friday, so if you’re targeting stripers or even fluke, deeper presentations will be a good idea.
CAPT. MIKE’S INSHORE PLAYBOOK offers clear explanations and illustrations for a multitude of jigging and groundfishing approaches, including suggestions about which of the many Hogy jigs will work best in any given situation.
And, of course, Nick is always willing and able to help you with firsthand instruction and advice regarding the use of all of the Hogy products he carries.
VINEYARD AND NANTUCKET SOUNDS
Because of folks like Evan Eastman at Eastman’s Sport & Tackle on Main Street in Falmouth, I am eagerly anticipating receipt of plenty of fishing and catching information tomorrow, both firsthand since he is going out himself and from folks who either frequent his shop or are in town for a brief stay.
At 7 PM, the buoy at Nantucket Island was registering a water temperature of 76.6 degrees Fahrenheit and I am confident that it is even warmer in Nantucket Sound, especially on the many shoals this body of water is known for.
Along with the recommendation I made in the Buzzards Bay section regarding the use of deep water presentations, I would highly suggest leaving the dock well before sunrise or perhaps even holding off until evening to head out during the heat of summer.
That said, my advice regarding the timing of any trip is based on the assumption that there will be clear skies when you are headed out, which is no guarantee for tomorrow.
A pattern that seemed to be taking shape in spots I fished last Monday and others confirmed when they could get out is the presence of large concentrations of small bait. Capt. Mike reminded me that during the summer it is common to run into krill hatches, which can make for some of the toughest fish conditions of the season when bass and even bluefish sometimes become totally fixated on a soup of tiny crustaceans. Technically, krill is the common name for any member of the crustacean order Euphausiacea which includes lobsters, crabs, and shrimp.
In the past, I have occasionally referred to “the dreaded krill hatch” because frustration can run high among anglers who are trying to get any response to multitude of offerings, including fly anglers who are used to the practice of matching the hatch.
One suggestion I can make to the light tackle community is to make a slight modification to Capt. Mike’s POP ‘N FLY APPROACH if you are convinced that you have encountered a krill hatch, using a small shrimp or crab fly as the trailer behind a dehooked clear Hogy Charter Grade Popper. In addition, switching to the smaller, four inch, ¾ ounce CGP might make a difference, but stay with the clear approach.
On the other hand, there were reports last week of bass feeding on really small sand eels and silversides, which calls for the smallest Hogy Epoxy Jigs or a POP ‘N FLY APPROACH as it was conceived of by Capt. Mike, using a Hogy Protail Fly as the trailer.
Saturday 7/13/24
I spend a lot of time with words and this has good points and some that aren’t so positive. After all, words can speak back to you like people but they don’t come with all of the other baggage that humans bring with them.
Sure, there are connotations to consider when choosing words as well as the historical background of certain terms and the prejudices and judgements that come with phrases and expressions.
As a kid, I wasn’t as sensitive to the meaning and interpretations of language; that was kind of freeing, but like pretty much anything involved in the human sphere, it became pretty clear the society would have plenty to say about the words I used and how I used them.
In today’s world, people have become hypersensitive to word choice and how the way one uses them is perceived – which, again, can be good and bad.
I am going to steer a wide course around the politics and polemics surrounding words in our contemporary world, but I too often find myself overthinking and laboring over word choice.
For example, in my younger years, fishing for species such as winter flounder and scup was often referred to as “bottom fishing” and this never bothered me. After all, my angling for both types of fish involved using a sinker to keep my bait on the bottom, so the term made sense.
But lately, I have come to ponder whether calling this form of angling “bottom fishing” isn’t a pejorative or at least an unfortunate judgement about the relative value and challenges involved.
I guess that’s why I appreciate that Capt. Mike uses the term “Groundfish” for many of the Hogy products designed for catching fluke, black sea bass, tautog, cod, haddock, cusk, pollock, mackerel, grouper, and snapper, as well as the two species mentioned earlier. I know that, like me, Mike appreciates the skills required to become an accomplished fisher not matter what method is employed.
Is it possible that folks look down on groundfishing because it often involves the use of bait, which too many people believe is the easiest way to catch fish – and that’s not to mention bait’s ickiness factor.
The reality of groundfishing is quite different today, however, with the use of artificial lures – in particular jigs – far more common. Some people still tip these ersatz offerings with natural adornment, such as strips of squid, pieces of crab or shrimp, and even a variety of small baitfish, and that’s not to mention the use of scented or unscented soft plastics.
In fact, Julien Pepper from Larry’s Tackle in Edgartown reminded me how technical this kind of angling can be; in his case, he provided me an education on the lengths that he and others now go to when targeting fluke or summer flounder.
As a kid, all of my bottom – ahem – groundfishing was done with a handline and on the rare occasion when my Uncle Kostas took me on a partyboat trip, we rented rods that were as basic as they came. In most cases, the equipment had hauled a lot of fish over the rails and it showed it, but we caught lots of scup as well as the occasional sea bass or tautog, which I suppose in an odd way supports those hoity toity types who look down their noses at this method.
If you will bear with me for a moment, there is no doubt that a part of my love of fishing derives from being part of this most democratic form, with folks from all walks of life and backgrounds going to do some “deep sea fishing” and partaking of some good clean fun, along with some friendly competition as well as a bit of good natured ribbing.
Julien is well known on the Vineyard for his piscatorial skills, especially when it comes to big striped bass, bluefish, and funny fish, but he told me that he has really gotten into the pursuit of the biggest kind of fluke, which are typically called “doormats.”
He employs specialized lightweight jigging rods from Shimano that top $450 paired with conventional reels from both Shimano and Daiwa that cost upwards of $400. You would be amazed at the cost of the jigs that serious fluke sharpies employ as well as how precise and careful they are in putting together their fluke rigs.
But the one thing that I knew before my conversation with Julien is that jigging or fishing bait for fluke in no way resembles the image some people have of an angler sleepily holding a rod while waiting for a fish to bite. Big fluke require plenty of rod work, including experimentation with different jigging patterns and techniques.
Ultimately, the fact that fluke tournaments have become more common is a sign that groundfishing for many species has gained the respect and appreciation of not only the greater fishing world, but especially those who participate and revel in it.
In fact, this weekend you can test your fluke fishing skills against some serious competitors in the Seventh Annual Fluke for Luke Fishing Tournament! Registration for this year’s event will begin July 13. Once again you will be able to sign up for the tournament at Dicks Bait and Tackle in Oak Bluffs as well as Coop’s Bait and Tackle and Larry’s Tackle Shop in Edgartown. The registration fee is $50 for adults and $25 for juniors (12 and under).
Fish must be weighed in at the Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs between 4 and 6 p.m. on July 13 and 2 to 4 p.m. on July 14. An awards ceremony and cook out will also be held at the P.A. Club.
As the flyer for this event said, “Fluke for Luke is a memorial fishing tournament for our dear friend Luke Gurney who passed away June 20, 2016 in a boating accident. All are welcome.”
MARTHA’S VINEYARD
Along with the news on fluke, Julien added that before this last stretch of windy weather, there had been some better bluefish action around Wasque. These weren’t the monsters that filled the waters around East Beach/Tom Shoal down to the point, but Julien said they are good fish, mainly in the eight to ten pound range.
Along with the challenges involved in bringing blues to the beach, some anglers were happy to catch them for bait to be used in sharking, an increasingly popular activity for folks who want the thrill of tangling with fish that no striper or bluefish could match for size and power.
Catching sharks when you are targeting them is one thing, but having one lop off a good chunk – or even the entire body starting just behind the gills – of a striper that you have on the line is another and that happened to a couple of unlucky shore anglers who were fishing the north shore of the island. Some of this crew chose to fish live eels, but Julien said needlefish and swimming plugs have been claiming some bass as well.
Julien also noted that he has heard rumblings of a decent bass bite up island around Squibnocket as well as the Devil’s Bridge/Gay Head area.
One thing that any good tournament competitor does is pre-fish spots that he or she hopes will produce a winning fish and Julien admitted that he does this, but he also emphasized that catching a fish or two to see if anything is happening since stirring up an area can prove to be disadvantageous.
NANTUCKET
Boat fishing was not really an option for many folks this week with the heavy swell along the southside of the island and large seas that made travel difficult, explained Nate Beakey at the Nantucket Tackle Center. The Old Man still has bass and blues, but the Great Point area has probably been the most consistent spot for both shore and boat anglers recently on the east side of the island.
Although the bluefishing isn’t what folks expect for this time of year, there were better numbers around Great Point and Eel Point, making for some very good shark fishing. Nate spoke to a couple of anglers who said the sandbar or brown sharks were so active that once they got a bait in the water, they were on.
Eel Point is also a good shore spot for bass, but the most consistent striper fishing has been from Cisco to Madaket/Smith Point, with bucktail jigs and larger dark colored soft plastics effective artificial lures while some of the sand people are doing well on live eels.
MONOMOY/CHATHAM
The word from Jake Mandirola at North Chatham Outfitters that boats fishing in the Big Three Tournament which benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & The Islands got out to the Monomoy Shoals today and reported good striper fishing, but other than folks competing in this event, most boaters stayed home and continued to wait for things to settle.
Jake assumed that even tournament boats couldn’t make it east to fish for tuna, with most reports before the stormy weather consisting of info about giant bluefin around the Regal Sword.
They also heard that there was some improving shore fishing for bass up around Nauset, but a common pattern is for the fish to move in towards shore around the higher stages of the tide before dropping back as the tide ebbs, giving boaters their chance to catch these fish on plugs and soft plastics when they are feeding in the upper part of the water column. On any given day, however, the bass and blues will be holding in deeper water feeding on shoals of sand eels, creating a scenario where knowing how to use your electronics can pay off.
