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Saltwater Fishing Tackle, Fishing Reports,
Charters, Fishing News, Fishing Videos, Tackle Reviews and
more!
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Dakota Jecevicus and Capt Steve Coulter steaming for home
aboard the
Sea Creature out of Hatteras, NC.
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08/30/12
Summer is Ending, The fish Are Not...
Capt. Hap Farrell |
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Labor Day is upon us and this is a signal that the summer is
coming to an end. The fish don't know this, they are just
getting going. The little herring fry are starting to come
out of the runs and the bass and bluefish will soon be ready
to greet them with open mouths.
Before I get into what is happening in Cape Cod Bay I would
like to bring up a few points. This weekend is a holiday
weekend so I figure there will be a little partying going
on. Remember, running a boat intoxicated is equally
dangerous as driving a car. The one thing you have to
realize you can not get out of the boat and walk home.
Please be careful and have a designated operator.
The big bluefish have made their presence known. A few days
ago we found some on the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals
out in 35 to 45 feet of water. They are umbrella rig
destroyers. Get three of the fish on a rig and it comes in
looking like a pretzel. They can also be found off
Barnstable Harbor out is 60 feet of water off the West Bar.
I have not been up to the Path but I imagine they are there
also. The small herring are starting to come out of the runs
now so when the two meet there will be a commotion.
The striped bass have made their presence known down by
Barnstable Harbor. However the bite only lasts a hour or so
and it's in the very early morning, just after sunrise.
Single hootchies trolled fast or jigging are the two methods
that work the best. There are some big bass mixed in with
the bluefish out in that 60 feet of water also. There are
some stripers in the Square, 45 to 50 feet of water off
Great Island, but you have to jig with very long wires (450
ft.). They mainly show up on the dropping tide. Umbrella
rigs may work also but you will load up on bluefish with a
striper now and then. P-town is another spot that is
producing stripers but not like last season. Most have been
taken in front of the Bath House but here too there are so
many bluefish they are hard to get to. The stripers aren't
there all the time either. It is somewhat of a gamble to run
all the way up there.
I went down to the Barnstable area twice this last week. The
first trip was a full day trip so we worked the area and
were able to pick up a few nice stripers. Kevin O'Sullivan
and his family landed six nice bass and a good number of
bluefish. The biggest striper was 44 inches and a good 25
pound fish. The next time I went was a few days later on an
early morning half day trip. It's over 14 miles to the first
area we fish so I had to push the throttle up a bit. Another
boat, the Luau, went down also. When we got there we noticed
the fish were hard on the bottom so we went right to jigging
which produced a few good size bass near or slightly over
the 40 inch length. Right at the end one of the Barnstable
boats found fish up on the most eastern end of the West Bar.
We hit them with single hootchies trolled faster than normal
and hooked up a few more striper. Steve Vanasse, his son and
family, lucked out. Steve's son landed a 48 inch striper
which was very close to being 40 pounds. A nice fish.
If you'd like to help search for these fish in Cape Cod Bay
call me at 508-240-8267.
Keep track of the Offshore Pursuits web site for information
concerning the giant bluefish activities. Dave keeps track
of the day to day movements of these fish.
If you’d like to help search for these fish in Cape Cod Bay
call me at 508-240-8267.
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www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com |
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08/30/12 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters |
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Capeshores Charters |
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"Hi Folks,
Yesterday was one of the bluebird beautiful fall days, with
amazing blue skies and puffy white clouds. The striped bass
took about an hour to get biting as the tide flow gathered
velocity, but once they started it was game on ! We had
multiple drifts of 3 and 4 rod hookups as we drifted our
sand eels across the sand bars of the rips. Unfortunately we
had no one else to share this amazing fishing with as there
wasn't another boat anywhere near us ! We caught a limit of
12 stripers and one bass for myself within 2.5 hours of
leaving the dock. The average size of the fish we landed was
36 or 37 inches. Nice bass for the end of August, no ?
The day before I was tuna fishing with a group that included
an excellent sushi chef and his pals from the Worcester
area, and I learned a few things about the cuts of the fish
to make sushi. I had always thought that the "Chutoro" was
part of the belly flap, but it is actually found in the
lesser loin, between the red backbone "Maguro" and the
fattier belly flap or "Toro". We managed to land the limit
of two bluefin, one between 27" and 47" and the second one
at 55", between the required slot size of 47" and 73". Keep
in mind these are "charter" or "head boat" boat rules. On a
"recreational" or "angling category" boat, you are only
allowed to take ONE fish between 27" and 73". We managed to
catch these fish within 5 miles of our dock on Tuesday, so
get on out there and catch one !
As we get into the fall days, the tuna bite will accelerate
and if you have been wanting to add a tuna trip to your
experiences, now is the time to reserve a day for your
group. By the end of next week we will have lost many of our
tourists as the schools reopen to enlighten the youth of
America, and the waters off Cape Cod will be less crowded
but still teeming with fin fishes for your angling exitement.
Bluefin Tuna, Striped Bass, Bluefish, False Albacore,
sharks, seals, whales and other marine life await you and
your group.
Come aboard ! Catchem' UP !
Capt. Bruce & Marilyn S" |
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This weeks fishing reports are on the home page of
Offshore Pursuits. |
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After this week, we will start to publish weekly to this
page also. Thanks. Dave |
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09/22/11 |
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The Cape at Large... |
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You can read about the bass and bluefish in the Bay in Hap's
report following this report..
The back side beaches are seeing the action pick up.
Bluefish blitzes and decent sized bass are popping up all
along the back side. There are still bass outside the new
cut in Chatham also.
Fat Alberts (southern for false albacore) are covering up
the southside. The sound, Monomoy, Nantucket, and all around
the Vineyard are holding fish. There are bass and bluefish
mixed in as well.
The exciting news is the bluefin tuna bite. It is heating up
all over. There are football being taken off Nauset in 40'
of water, fish to 60" being taken inside Crab Ledge, some
giants are said to be coming from the BB/BC area as well.
Peaked Hill is giving up some giants as is Stellwagon Bank.
The real hotspots are Cape Cod Bay, between the Fishing
ledge and P-town, straight out from the bath house. Giants
as well as school fish are feeding amongst the draggers that
are working the area. Yesterday there was a fleet of 50 to
60 boats working the area. The day before yesterday there
was a 120" fish landed that tipped the scales at 1000 lbs.
plus! With the weather predicted to be decent this weekend,
it should be a parking lot! The other hotspot is way east on
George's bank. many boats are coming in with three fish.
Don't be fooled into thinking that these fish are hopping in
the boat as they were last year at this time. The boats that
are successful are working hard to get their fish. Knowledge
is the key here, as is proven by the same guys bringing in
the big fish trip after trip.
If you have the boat and the tackle, Cape Cod bay would be
my choice for the weekend. Live bait on a kite in search of
that 1000 lb'er!
Good luck this weekend, what ever you are chasing! Dave |
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09/22/11 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell |
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More Fall Fishing... |
The days are getting shorter. The sun up later in the
morning and goes down earlier in the evening. There is a
chill in the air when I go down to the harbor and aboard the
boat. The radio is strangely quite. No one is on the water.
This does not mean the fish are gone, just the economy’s
effect on our September fishing. When we do get out there is
now problem finding either the bluefish or some nice sized
stripers.
We’ve had some good trips out of Rock Harbor. Fortunately
the striped bass have moved closer to home. We need not go
to Barnstable Harbor or up to P-town to find striped bass in
the 20 to 30 pound range. All we need to do is check out
Billingsgate Shoals and if they are not there go out to the
Square and start jigging there. We are forced to use our
long jigging wires (450 ft.) in the deep water but it is the
best way we’ve found. Now and then when the schools of fish
are closer to the surface the umbrella rigs will work but
the larger bass are on the bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water
and you need to use the long jig wires to get to them.
As for the bluefish, they are mixed in with the stripers in
the deep water but they can also be found in along the
Eastham shore. This is my favorite area to fish for
bluefish. You can use light trolling tackle in there and on
occasion find fish to cast on. My favorite way is with the
light action trolling tackle such as rod and reel
combinations using 6 lb. test line. This is a real challenge
for any angler.
Some of the areas to check out. As the season comes to close
the bass and bluefish have, in the past, gathered in certain
locations. The best known is Billingsgate Shoals and next is
the deep water off Great Island and around the square area.
There the umbrella rigs or the long jigging wires work best.
One other area is the Brewster Flats and just off the edge
of the flats. This area has not been very productive so far
this season but with the herring coming out of the runs, it
just might come alive.
My bet is either the shoals or the deep water off the
shoals. So, I’ll see you out there at least a few more times
this fall. Good luck...
If you want to keep track of what is happening off the outer
beaches give the Goose Hummock a call at 508-255-0455. To
fish Cape Cod Bay call me at 508-240-8267. |
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www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com |
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08/25/11 |
Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com |
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There is a school or small number of schools of big stripers
swimming around Cape Cod Bay. At times you can find them off
Barnstable Harbor. Either on the East Bar or, most likely,
the West Bar. If not there look to the “Fingers”. The next
are in off the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals in the deep
water. That is 45 feet or deeper. You will mark them on your
fish finder but that doesn’t mean you will hook up. They are
acting finicky, very finicky.
The boats that do well in the deep water off the shoals find
that just after the tides starts in for about 2 to 3 hours
is the best time. Jigging with 450 foot wire works best. The
umbrella rig will have some results but mostly big bluefish.
Once the tide has started in a while, like two hours before
high water, the fish seem to spread out. Where these big
fish go is anyone's guess.
For those who just want to have some fun catching bluefish
go up on the flats East of the #3 and #5 cans in about 13 to
18 feet of water and troll small hootchies or swimming plugs
around at 5 knots or so and you’ll find some small bluefish
to play with. These fish are the good eating size and fun to
take on with lighter tackle.
We are having a special event at Rock Harbor this coming
Sunday, the 28th. At 8:30 am. the Rock Harbor Charter Fleet
will be taking some our veterans out for a half day of
sportfishing. This is being set up by “Cape Cod Cares for
the Troops” and being sponsored by the Rock Harbor Charter
Service and the Elks. It is not really a tournament but I’m
sure we will keep track of the biggest fish caught that day.
I believe the whole fleet is involved so come down and give
the troops a good send off and come back at around 12:30 pm
to see them return with their catch. It is the least we can
do for someone who puts the life in jeopardy in our name.
What to do for this next week? It’s hard to say. If you are
fishing over the lower water and want to check out the West
Bar off Barnstable Harbor I think I’d take the ride. If not
there go out to the deep water off the north edge and stay
in 40 to 50 feet of water and troll up towards the Path. If
you see fish on the bottom with your fish finder set out a
long wire (450 feet) and jig in that area. The bluefish
should be in by the Path and, during the flood tide, in off
the Eastham shore.
I had some local folks our on a half day trip last week. It
was Erin Shupenis and her father Ray. Erin works for the
town of Orleans during the week and waitresses at the Land
Ho on weekends. Erin landed three bluefish on the umbrella
rig she was fishing with. We did have a striper on but it
got off right at the boat. The Luau landed two striper and
the Fair Lady landed a bass that was almost 36 inches. Both
boats also landed some bluefish also. |
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If you want to get in on this good fishing call me at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211. |
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08/04/11 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com |
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August Doldrums... |
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It’s the beginning of August. The summer is more than half
over and we are starting to run on emergency power. We wake
up, and head to the boat, even if we don’t have a trip,
because we don’t know where else to go. The beaches are
crowded, the roads are crowded and we are just hoping to get
out on the water. Even some of the areas out there are
crowded.
The fishing is good, not great, but we are keeping everyone
happy with a decent load of stripers and some bluefish mixed
in. The main area we start fishing is the north edge of
Billingsgate Shoals. If we don’t find much there we may go
out to the deep water and troll rigs or single hootchies
around looking for bluefish. At times we find some fish and
land a half a dozen or so. Then we go back to the shoals and
work the south edge looking for the stripers again. So far,
we’ve been successful at our endeavors. For whatever reason,
P-town has been fairly quiet lately.
There are tons upon tons of bait, mainly sand eels, on
Billingsgate Shoals. It has been a long time since there has
been this much food concentrated in one area. This is what
seems to be keeping the bass on the shoals. There has been
one or two days when the sand eels have moved off and they
took the fish with them. So, if you get out to the shoals
and do not find the bait there, go right out to the deep
water and look around. As far as P-town is concerned, look
to next weekend before the fish move back in any volume.
Before I get into the groups who fished this last week I’d
like to tell of a young woman who has fished with me for
many years and is now working for me as a mate part time.
Emily Ewen and her father Chris started fishing with me six
years ago. Emily was eleven then. Now she is seventeen. Last
season she expressed an interest in learning to mate on the
boat, so we trained her some. This season, with a bit more
training, Emily was ready to take a trip by herself. When
asked if she was nervous her reply was “I’ll do the best I
can”. That’s all I or anyone can expect. She was good to her
word. She did the best she could and it was more than anyone
could expect. She will be a busy young lady come next
summer.
I had a number of families out this past week. I had the
Gilbrides, the Grays , and the Jagemanns amongst other.
Carrie Gilbride is the daughter of Dave and Mary Smith. Dave
mated for me years ago one fall before he passed. The
Jagemanns are friends of the Gilbrides, and their daughter
Casey and Izzy are friends so when they fish together theyt
are known as the Dynamic Duo. The Grays are another family
that regularly go fishing and their daughter Cassandra
turned out to be the fisherman of the week.
Capt. Chuck Cataldo, of the Fair Lady had a spilt trip this
last Tuesday with Chuck Conlen and Gerald Correau plus
friends. They did very well with a good number of good sized
stripers. This trip came through the Rock Harbor Charter
Service (508-255-9757), the Booth at Rock Harbor. |
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08/04/11 |
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The Cape at large.... |
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As I mentioned, the Canal has been the bright spot this past
week with some nice fish moving in with the big tides.
Reports indicate soft plastic shad imitations are the hot
bait right now.
There are some big bluefish being taken off Monomoy, along
the backside and around the corner...The striper bite has
slowed off Chatham There are some fish around, but not
stacked up like they were.
As you read in Hap's report, the fishing in the Bay is
decent, but you have to work for what you get.
The bluefin bite has slowed way down off Chatham for now.
There are a few fish being landed, but nothing like last
week. There are some fish being taken off Peaked Hill, and
more on Stellwagon. There are also reports of fish moving
into the Bay. I have heard from a reliable source that one
boat for sure headed to Georges earlier in the week.
Mechanical problems kept him from reaching his destination,
but I am sure he had a very good reason to be headed in that
direction.
Good luck to all of you this weekend! Dave |
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07/28/11 |
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NOTICE: |
The National marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) closes the
northern area Angling catagory fishery for large medium and
giant ("trophy") BFT for the remainder of the 2011 season.
Fishing for, retaining, possessing, or landing large medium
and giant BFT (measuring 73 inches curved fork length or
greater) north of 39 degrees 18 minute N. lat. (off Great
Egg Inlet, NJ,) is prohibited effective 11:30 p.m. local
time, on July 29, 2011.
Click here to read the full notice. |
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07/28/11 |
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Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com |
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It was the 24th of July when we, the charter captains, could
officially say the bluefish are here in force. They have
turned up in different spots off and on up until now. Once
we found them off the Eastham shore and the fish were gone.
Next we’d find them out in the deep water and then they were
gone. Two weeks ago they showed up off the Path for a few
days and then they disappeared. Now they have shown up from
the Path south to Henderson’s Rock from 15 feet of water out
to 30 feet of water. Tom Smith, who commercially fishes for
these fish told us they have been moving into the Bay for
the last few days. Now if the bass is slow we still have one
of the hardest fighting fish, the bluefish, to chase around.
From what I hear the big commercial size bass are still
hanging out in front of the new cut in Pleasant Bay. The
larger fish are measuring from 36 to 44 inches but you have
to cull through some smaller fish. Either jigging with a
long wire or vertical jig with Ronzi’s is what is working
best. In the Bay we are doing equally as well but the bass
are a little smaller, perfect dinner size. From 29 to 34
inches. We, the charter captains are kind of glad we don’t
have a lot of big fish around. Less boat traffic to deal
with. Jigging on top of Billingsgate Shoal is still the best
game in town. P-town is slow right now, but that will change
when we get back to the bigger tides I think.
There is one thing that is a little troublesome. There is
still very little action in the area along the Eastham shore
and around the #3 and #5 cans near the entrance to Welfleet
Harbor. Traditionally this area always held a good amount of
bluefish and was a good place to take a family with you kids
so we could put them on fish they could handle easier. It
still only has fish now and then. Not on a regular basis. No
one knows why this is.
What will go on next week? Hopefully some larger stripers
will move in on top of the shoals. The large schools of bass
will come back to P-town especially from the Race down to
Wood End and more bluefish move into the Bay. It’s a good
possibility that one or more of these things will happen.
The big tides are starting up soon and this will push the
fish back to where we can get to them. Get your jigs and
umbrella rigs ready. Make sure your wire rods have fresh
wire and the reels are in good shape.
I had two groups out this week that were lots of fun and we
did well. Marcos Maranda, from Harwich, brought his crew out
for a full day trip. The weather was a little off, cloudy
and slightly drizzly at times. The fishing was fantastic.
They easily got their limit plus much more. The Brazilian
sausage was equally as good as the fishing. The second trip
was a booth trip. A father and son and father and daughter.
Zack, who’s eleven, and has fished out of Rock Harbor before
and Meghan, who has experience fishing in the Florida area
but never for stripers, loaded the boat. Zack, an old hand
at this type of fishing was equaled by Miss Meghan whose
experience showed in her ability to handle these majestic
fish. |
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If you want to get in on this good fishing call me at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211. |
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07/28/11 |
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The Cape at Large... |
The striped bass fishing is pretty slow, EXCEPT for Chatham.
The bad news is that anyone fishing for striped bass is off
Chatham. Off the new inlet to be exact. Diamond Jigs are the
lure of choice. Be prepared for tons of company though. When
things get slow, troll umbrella rigs or jigs. There are
reports of fish moving up the beach, but not much past
Nauset.
There are bluefish everywhere. Big fish in the rips off
Monomoy and Handkerchief Shoals. Schools of big fish off the
Race and in the Bay also.
The good news is that the bluefin bite is good. East of
Chatham on Bird Bars or Hatteras Creature's. Reports of
multiple fish days are becoming more common. Big fish on
Peaked hill and up on Stellwagon. Live bluefish on kites or
under a balloon are working well. Still have not heard of
much going on in the Bay as far as the bluefin go.
Make sure you read the top of this page and click to read
the full notice regarding the closure of the northern area
Angling category fishery for large medium and giant
("trophy") BFT for the remainder of the 2011 season.
Have a great weekend and good luck! |
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07/26/11 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters
Capeshores Charters |
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Hi Folks,
I've been a little busy lately with the charters and havent
had time to give a real fish report. I usually do a long
tuna trip or two bass trips a day. I am being frustrated
with the folks that call or email and ask if aI have an
opening for tomorrow am or the day after etc. Just like a
great hotel or a great restaurant, a great charter service
reserves in advance. Capeshores Charters reserves in advance
for one reason. We have the best striped bass and bluefin
tuna fisheries on the east coast within 30 minutes of the
harbor entrance ! Please be smart and call ahead for your
reservation. Currently the next openings are 7/30 & 31, 8/1
(pm), 8/3, 8/6, 8/7, 8/14, 15, 16, 17, & 18.
As for the fishing, I caught over 40 stripers yesterday on
the 4 hour trip with a husband and wife charter on 14 pound
test ! On Saturday we hooked and lost 2 nice 60 inch bluefin
before 8 am ! On the 19th and 20th we caught a nice
retainable tuna on each day ! The fishing for stripers is
phenomenal, with many boats catching lots of stripers on the
bottom. We are using butterfly and diamond jigs to get the
fish. Each fish is fat with sand eels and if you can get the
technique down you will catch plenty of fish.
If you would like to get in on the action, email me at the
address below (bruce@sportfishingcapecod.com)
and make a reservation. There are lots of openings available
for August and September and the fishing just off Chatham's
shorelines will continue to be great through September into
October.
Thanks very much,
Bruce & "Marilyn S" |
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07/21/11 |
Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com
07/21/11
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Coming Back Home |
It is about time. The fish are starting to make their
presence known again. Last week the bluefish showed up along
the Eastham shore in strength. They were hitting the
hootchies like old times. More bass and bluefish are showing
up in the deep water and this time umbrella rigs are working
as well as the long jig wire. All we need is a big flood of
large bass on top of Billingsgate Shoals to top everything
off. That would be nice.
In years past every time we had a hard northwest blow, 15 to
25 knots or more, the schools of striped bass in the deep
water would be pushed up or come up on the shoals the day
after. The fishing would be really good for a few days.
Jigging or even single hootchies on wire would be the most
productive. We have not really had that happen yet. We had a
small taste of that happen this last Tuesday and it did help
the fishing some.
The commercial season is not affecting Cape Cod Bay too
much. It seems there are a few good sized schools of
commercial size bass parked off the new cut on the outer
beach. No one is sure how long this will last. One good
heavy easterly could shut off the whole thing. Last year
P-town was the place we found a lot of big bass and then at
the end of the commercial season they showed up off Nauset
Inlet. Maybe it will go in reverse this season.
I hope the bluefish continue to move into our area. I’d like
to see them in the shallow water from Great Island up
towards the Pamet River. Also, the tuna fishermen would love
to see the smaller bluefish show up because they make better
live bait than the larger ones which are around now. The
smaller bluefish may bring the giant bluefin tuna into the
Bay which would round out a good season. This would be a
great thing.
One question I’ve been asked a lot is, “where have all the
big bass gone?” I think that the migration habits of fish
are cyclic. There will be seasons when we have a lot of
bluefish around and only a smattering of stripers, like
years ago. The things reverse and we have a lot of stripers
around and the amount of bluefish wanes down some. Right now
I think we are in the middle of this cycle. Not a large
amount of stripers and a small amount of bluefish. It is a
theory of mine with no scientific basis behind it, so take
it for what it is worth.
This last week I had a group from Big Brothers & Big Sisters
out for a half day trip. Zoee Terry, Emma Mitchell, and
German Hercules tried their hand at the good bass fishing we
have on Cape Cod Bay. We landed three nice bass with German
landing the biggest. It was 38 inches long and weighed 22
pounds. This is the second season I’ve done this and it will
definitely not be the last. It is a treat to watch these
kids fight what could be the first fish they have ever
caught. |
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If you want to get in on this good fishing call me at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211. |
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07/21/11 |
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Striped Bass with Tom McCombs and
Sweet Lips Jigs |
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Dave,
Cape Cod Bay, Race Point and Herring Cove have been slow for
the last week. A huge hatch of sand eels has taken place and
they are thick from Wood End to Race Point Beach, this
should make the fishing better. Birds, bait and maybe some
fish? Yes there we a few keeper bass caught yesterday
between Race Point and Wood End! Things are looking better.
The back side has big bluefish and a few bass, jig between
the pot lines where the water is 30 to 40 feet deep. We
caught blues up to 15 pounds and a few keeper bass. The
black and red jigs were getting the most action but the
keeper bass were taken on green and white jigs.
Chatham seems to be where the best action is, just try to
find a place to launch the boat with available parking, not
easy. I am hoping that today's SW winds will move the fish
back to the Race.
Tight Lines, Tom
Sweet Lips Jigs
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07/21/11 |
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The Cape at Large |
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As you have read, the striper fishing has slowed a bit with
the exception of the new cut in Chatham. Problem here is
that it is commercial bass season and you will have lots of
company. The Race and cape cod Bay may turn on any day, and
that may be your best bet.
Offshore is where the action is now. From the SE corner of
Stellwagon to the Golf Ball fish are being taken on the
troll and with live bluefish and pogies under a kite or a
balloon. The
Carlson Fuku Bird Bars are by far the number one
producer on the troll. Peaked Hill is giving up fish to live
bait. ten miles off Chatham the fleet is doing very well
with mixed classes of fish. Slot fish to giants, both
trolling and using live bait.
Cape Cod bay is loaded with little footballs, but no big
fish reported yet.
10 miles SW of the Vineyard around the fingers area there
are a ton of bluefin in the 40 lb. to 80 lb. class to be
had.
If you have the boat to get there, the hot spot to be right
now is in the canyons. reports from Atlantis, both west and
east are loaded with stories of big yellowfin, big eye tuna,
mahi-mahi (all you could ever want), white and blue marlin.
There are good reports of makos being taken off Martha's
Vineyard...some to 700 lbs. Just in time for this weekends
monster shark tournament!
Whatever you are fishing for, good luck! Dave |
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07/07/11 |
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The Cape at Large |
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The Canal is pretty slow right now, although there are a few
fish being caught. Gay Head is still producing nice fish on
the chunk, with Tom Shoals holding fish also.
You read Bruce's report...the bass are on the rips off
Monomoy. Nantucket Sound is covered up with big bluefish,
and there are bass outside the inlet in Chatham.
Not a whole lot going on off the backside, but fresh
sandeels fished on the bottom are worth a shot.
The Race is holding fish, with the boats doing better than
the surf crowd.
On the tuna front, the big fish are coming from the SW
corner of Stellwagon to Peaked Hill. A lot guys are fishing
kites, with the rest fishing under baloons. East of Chatham
is giving up slot fish to splash bars, especially to the
Carlson Fuku Bird Bar.
There are small fish being taken South of the Vineyard, and
reports of a few small yellowfin being caught at the Dump.
Good luck this weekend. Dave |
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07/07/11 |
Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
www.capecodbaycharters.com
capthap@capecodbaysportfishing.com
07/07/11
4th of July Striped Bass Blitz
Since I've been fishing out of Rock Harbor I've heard the
the famous 4th of July blitz of striped bass or bluefish
that happens on this weekend. To be truthful, I've never
seen what has been described to me. That is, seeing big
stripers crowed in on Billingsgate Shoals and go nuts. When
you can troll through this area and hook up on this big
majestic fish with ease, knowing you'll be landing a nice
big fish. As we looked forward to this last 4th week end we
all hoped this would really happens. Well, it didn't.
The bluefish have finally arrived up in the South Sunken
Meadow area. They are not there all the time, but it's worth
going up there and checking it out. When they are, it is
gang busters and these fish are not small. Right now red and
orange hootchies or most any swimming plug will work well.
With the swimming plug on mono troll it around 4 1/2 to 5
knots and with the hootchies just under 6 knots will be the
most productive. No one has looked up in the area around the
Path or the shallow water along the Welfleet/Truro line, but
these large bluefish may be there also.
Each year the stripers seem to pick a spot where you are
most likely to find them and a method that seems to work the
best. Right now there seems to be two spots like this. I'm
not talking about P-town. That area will always be a good
spot like the Bath House area, Race Point, and between Wood
End and Long Point are those areas. The two areas down
closer to Rock Harbor and Sesuit would be the West End of
Billingsgate Shoals and the deep water off the north edge.
This area in the deep water is called "The Square".
Jigging in the deep water can be a real hassle. You have to
use really long wire to jig in 50 feet of water. We put 450
feet of wire on with a good sized reel with plenty of
backing on a fairly stiff rod. The fish are usually spread
out and you have to be marking them on the bottom with a
good fish finder. Lately, we've found schools of bass out in
this deep water and they will not take umbrella rigs or any
other lure system other than the jig. Hopefully, this will
change. It takes a long time to reel in 450 feet of wire,
especially with a 35 inch striper on the other end.
I had Jen Franzen, who manages Cloud Nine Video Rentals in
the Orleans Market Place, out fishing with a friend of hers,
Nate. They both landed a number of striped bass with more
the six being legal sized to keep. They kept the four
largest and released the others. We started out on the west
end of Billingsgate Shoal taking one keeper size bass there.
Then we went out to the deep water off the shoals and landed
5 more good size bass. Than came back to the west end and
hooked up of more fish. We kept these two new anglers fairly
busy. The will sleep good when they back to their homes. It
may not have been a fourth of July blitz, but it was still
very good fishing.
If you want to get in on this good fishing call me at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211. |
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Capt. Bruce Peters
Capeshores Charters |
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07/05/11 |
Exploding with Striped Bass !
Hi Folks,
Happy Fourth of July ! Fireworks were first used to
celebrate the Independence of our new country in 1777. It
seems this year the striped bass that we all love to fish
for have celebrated their arrival to the Monomoy area the
week of the July 4 holiday as well. Bearse's Shoals and the
rips there all have breaking bass and birds on them for the
last couple of days. Handkerchief Shoals too has good
numbers of bait, birds and bass. Stonehorse Shoal also will
have good action particularly on the incoming tide. The fish
range in sizes from 30 to 45 inches, and on our light 14
pound test spinning gear are lots of fun to catch. We had
our limit today in less than two hours and were throwing em
back. On other boats, you can catch em quicker using a heavy
rod and cranking them in over the top of the water while the
captain continues trolling, but i like a more delicate
approach to catching them. There are also some good bass
numbers off Chatham harbor and Nauset in the open waters if
you can find the bait and mark the fish on your fish finder.
The Bluefin tuna had shut off for a few days last week. Many
top fishers never caught a fish 3 or 4 days in a row. Today
there was again a decent bite in the morning, as long as you
were away from the bass and blues and kept your lines clean.
I expect decent tuna fishing from here on out, as there were
small slot fish mixed in with the larger fish, showing us
younger year classes. (a positive sign)
Give us a call for some great striped bass and bluefin tuna
fishing. There are still a few openings available for the
week of July 12 - 16.
Good Luck,
Capt. Bruce & "Marilyn S" |
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06/23/11 |
A bunch of tuna "slot" fish have moved in east of Chatham
mixed in with the 75 to 80 inch fish that were there last
week. This is good news for those who want to take a fish
home.
The striper fishing is picking up in the rips off Monomoy,
with the next couple of weeks looking to get even better.
Read on for more info...
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06/23/11 |
Fish Can’t Read...
By: Capt. Hap Farrell |
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Stunmai II
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Well, it is officially summer now. Schools are letting out,
the vacationers are starting to arrive and the fish are
waiting to be caught. So, those of you who are waiting to
catch them you are in luck. Seriously, the bluefish have
arrived in strength on the south shore of the Cape and are
working their way into the Bay. The lead schools have
already arrive and are settling in. The striped bass are a
little reluctant to make room for them but they realize they
will have to.
The bass are still in the New Ground area and during the
flood tide can be very active. Just look for working birds
and work into them slowly. One thing we, as charter
captains, see every season are the chargers. Those skiffs
that see working birds and go full bore to them and start
casting into them. What they don't realize in doing this
they put down more schools getting there and spook the
school they are trying to get to. Working up to them slowly
and into a position either up wind or up tide from them and
then drifting into them will give the angler much more time
with an active school. More often than not the school of
fish is only up for a short time anyway.
Some of the other active areas are the south edge of
Billingsgate Shoals, during the dropping tide, the deep
water on the east end of the shoals out to 50 feet, and in
by the #3 and #5 cans by Billingsgate Island itself.
Remember, you can only see the Island at low water. P-town
is very active, especially in by the Bath House on an
incoming tide.
A quick note. The Blessing of the Fleet at Rock Harbor last
Saturday went better than expected. There were a good number
of people in attendance and many boats in the fleet were
blessed. Next year should be even better.
There are more and more bluefish showing up mixed in with
the stripers. During the middle of last week the New Grounds
was quite active with a number of schools of bass working
the surface. There were a few bluefish mixed in. I ended up
landing at least two to three each day. I expect they will
show up in on Stony Bar any day now.
Things are going to start settling in in the next week and
all the regular areas will start to get active. Just a
little warmer and more sun and I think we will have a good
season. The deep water off billingsgate Shoals should be the
area to fish for next week. I think that whole area will
explode with both bass and bluefish. I had the Facinnelli
family out last Tuesday. They are from Tampa, Florida. Jim,
the father, is an avid fisherman and has his own boat down
there. Well, we showed how good the fishing is up here. His
whole family did well landing 8 nice stripers and one good
size bluefish. His son, Dominick, out did everyone by
landing more fish than all of them. Not bad for a nine year
young man.
If you want to get in on this good fishing call me at:
508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211.
Thanks Hap!
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06/23/11 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters
Capeshores Charters
Cape Cod Stripers & Tuna
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Hi Folks,
The Bluefin bite is on ! There are both small and large fish
mixed together in the area, making it perfect for folks that
want to take a fish home to eat. The keeper size is one
between 27" & 47 " and one fish between 47" and 59". Before
this week most all of the fish caught were over the 59" size
and were being released. But this last week a bunch of new
smaller fish showed up, which is a great sign of further
healthy year classes and makes for a happier charter when
sashimi is served at the end of the day !
Reports yesterday were of three and four fish landings on
many boats. The fish bit throughout the day, with several
landed in the middle of the day when the tide was still
running hard. A very good sign ! Most of the fish are
between the Crab Ledge and the BC buoy and are being taken
on splash bars in all colors. Im partial to black, but
rainbow, and pink w blue dots is working too. Last trip we
hooked up on the black splash bar and the brown and pink
bar, both on the short rigger.
I went striped bass fishing yesterday at Handkerchief Shoals
and had a limit of fish before the charter was halfway
through. Most all of these stripers were between 27 and 34
inches, and we did catch one bluefish. I fished bait on my
15 pound test spinning gear, drifting the baits naturally
through the rips to catch these fish. There were not many
gulls working the rip at all. I expect things to
dramatically improve over the next two weeks there.
Call for more info or to make a reservation. Thanks very
much,
Capt. Bruce & "Marilyn S" |
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06/23/11 |
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The Cape at Large... |
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The Canal fishing is slow...but if you do try go at night.
The most consistent action is coming after dark.
As you read in Haps report, it sounds like the Bay is the
place to be this weekend.
There is some action on the backside fishing sand eels on
the bottom.
Capt. Bruce told you about the hot bite east of
Chatham...That should only get better also.
The Vineyard is covered up in bluefish. There are some nice
bass being taken off the backside of the island. Middle
Ground in the sound is giving up fish to wire and jigs. Some
decent fish have been landed.
As I said, the Bay seems to be the place to go for the
weekend. Good Luck!
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06/03/11 |
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The Fishing Report |
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The fishing is picking up coast wide. The billfish bite last
week was incredible off Hatteras. One boat I know of saw 10
blue marlin and landed 4, landed 4 sailfish and 2 white
marlin. He also lost a 700 lb'er at the boat yesterday. What
seems to absent are the meat fish. The dolphin fishing is
terrible as of yesterday. They are saying that the long
liners are now targeting the dolphin and are taking them in
big numbers. Hopefully that will change.
The Big Rock starts the 10th...that should be a good show...
I just got of the phone with a customer who told me that
they were covered up in yellowfin the other day. Nine rods
went off at once, with seven fish landed. He says they
ranged from 25 to 45 lbs. Not bad...
Further up the coast off the Cape is looking good. As you
read in Haps report, the Bay is coming alive.
The tuna have showed up also. I was informed a few hours ago
that here was an 80" fish taken off Chatham, 4 fish caught
on Stellwagon, and one on Jeffry's.
If the late spring bite they had off Hatteras is any
indication of what this summer is going to be then Hang on!
From bass to bluefin, whatever you are targeting, good luck!
Dave
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06/01/11 |
The Bluefish are Back...
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
In the past few days I heard a voice on the radio say, “I
just took a bluefish.” This is a good sign for our upcoming
season. The bluefish add a challenge to the fishing in Cape
Cod Bay. The bluefish is one of the harder fighting fish,
for its size, in our area. It is the mainstay for the
charter business in the Bay. These fish are found in both
shallow and deep water and will hit a number of different
lures. Also you can use different methods to catch them.
Casting surface plugs, fly fishing, trolling plugs on mono,
using umbrella rigs, jigging with wire, and vertical jigging
are some of the more popular methods. It is good to hear of
their arrival.
The striper fishing has been pretty good this last week. Not
many boats have been out but the ones who were found all the
fish they needed. It is not so easy that you just have to
put a lure in the water, troll for a bit and you will hook
up. You have to work for these fish. The south edge of
Billingsgate Shoals, near where the wreck buoy used to be,
and the New Grounds, west of the Target Ship buoy, have been
the most productive. This last Monday, John Shaklicks, on
the Luau, found both bass and bluefish in near Stony Bar
during the high water trip. This area, which is just north
of the #3 can is a well known area and usually produces
fish. However, lately this area has been kind of dead. Maybe
the fish are finally moving in this spot.
What will happen this weekend and next week? I love trying
to figure out what fish will do. It’s almost like being a
weatherman or a broken clock. You’re bound to be right once
in awhile. So, here goes. The water is warming up fast.
These bluefish that have been spotted in on Stony Bar will
become more active. They will spread from there out to the
shoals and then to the north edge. They should and I mean
should become really active in the shallow water along the
Eastham shore. Swimming plugs and the umbrella rig will work
best for now but hootchies will be the lure of choice.
The stripers should still stay active inside on the New
Grounds, the South Edge, in Barnstable Harbor, and in on
Stony Bar. The new areas to check out should be the top of
Billingsgate Shoals, the North Edge, and out in the deep
water off the edge up by the Square, which is 50 feet of
water off Griffin Island. Swimming plug, preferably the
white or black Bomber, the umbrella rig on 150 foot wire, or
even jigging should work well. All this is changing fast but
things will settle down in a few weeks.
If you’d like to get in on some of this early season fishing
give me a call either at home (508-255-6211) or on my cell
(508-240-8267). Don’t miss out on some good tasting striped
bass filets.
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05/26/11/11 |
Stripers Settle In...
Capt. Hap Farrell
Stunmai II
If you haven’t noticed we have not had much sun this month.
It is really affecting both the fish and the fishermen.
This cloudy and cool weather keeps the water from warming up
and therefore the striped bass from moving around much. This
doesn’t mean the fishing isn’t good, it just could be
better.
The main areas right now are in by some of the small
estuaries in Barnstable Harbor and just outside the mouth of
the harbor with the outgoing tide where there are some
schools of bigger fish. The Brewster Flats are active
especially where Paine’s Creek empties out along the edge.
On the flood tide the deep water west of the Target Ship
Buoy is active and during the the outgoing tide closer to
the Ship Buoy and north of it can also be productive. I have
not heard much about P-town but I imagine in by Long Point
and Woodend on the outgoing would be a place to look and
possibly in by Day’s Cottages could hold some fish.
As anyone who has fished Cape Cod Bay knows, things can
change quickly and this part of the early season is no
exception. Once we do get some sun, and we will, and the
water warms the large schools of stripers should move to the
North Edge of Billingsgate Shoals. You can find them out in
as much as 40 feet of water. These fish are usually of the
larger variety. This does not mean that the other areas like
west of the ship and the Brewster Flats will go dead. They
will still stay active, just not as many fish and more of
the undersize fish than keepers.
Other areas like the East Bar off Barnstable will liven up a
long with the deep water out by the Fingers. The Path and
the deep water off the Path will hold some fish. Plus, the
first bluefish should show themselves in by Stony Bar and
off the Eastham Shore. These bluefish could also show up in
the deep water off the shoals from 30 out to 50 feet. In
other words, the Bay will come alive. Next week will tell us
what is going to happen and how fast. Lots of sun and things
will move very fast so look to the deeper water. No sun,
stay in the shallow water until the water temperature comes
up some.
Last weekend I had Tim Jagemann and his crew out for a half
day trip. We did pretty good. Not as good as last season but
we had a spring then. We still landed a good number of
stripers and were able to keep six of them. More than enough
for dinner for a number of families.
If you’d like to get in on some of this early season fishing
give me a call either at home (508-255-6211) or on my cell
(508-240-8267). Don’t miss out on some good tasting striped
bass filets.
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05/26/11/11 |
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Capt. Bruce Peters
Capeshores Charters
Cape Cod Stripers & Tuna
Hi Folks,
There are large amounts stripers around now, schoolies are
everywhere and Cape Cod Bay has some bigger fish. The squid,
scup and butterfish have moved into Nantucket Sound but
hardly any mackerel have shown at all there. The trap
fishers in the Sound are having a hard time with seals
sitting at the mouth of the traps and preventing any fish
from entering. The seals are voracious, eating only the
bellies of the fish they prey on. Shareen Davis has an
aerial photo taken on her website (http://shareendavisphotography.com/index.cfm?page=2)
showing 3 or 4 seals feeding on a school of pogies. If you
don't think they can do the same to schools of striped bass
you are mistaken. Hardly any stripers come into Pleasant Bay
anymore due to the seals camped out at the mouth of the
entrances. Think of seals at the entrances this way: If you
walked home from work every day and found a couple grizzly
bears on each side of your driveway, would you walk up to
the house ? I wonder if the gamefish status proponents
consider seal predation in their estimates of declining
catches?
The macks seem to be in decent supply at the southern sides
of Cape Cod Bay and should be there for another week or so
according to my friend Steve Ellis. He said there were good
amounts of them yesterday north of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis.
All of the Cape's estuaries and embayments are warming
rapidly and teeming with life, bait and stripers. Most are
on the small side, but lots of action is to be had with
small lead head and grub baits. It might be a good idea to
not use treble hooks or even bend the barbs down, on the
singles, to not hurt the fish needlessly.
The tuna should be arriving in a week or two, last year a
74" bluefin was caught 3 miles off the beach at Chatham on
June 1st. Also reported that day there were sightings of a
decent show of topwater bluefin in Cape Cod Bay. This year
according to the NMFS, "Starting April 2, 2011, NMFS
adjustments the daily retention limit for private vessels to
one school or large school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 59
inches) per vessel per day/trip and for charter/headboat
vessels to one school BFT (measuring 27 to less than 47
inches) and one large school BFT (measuring 47 to less than
59 inches) per vessel per day/trip". The general category
boats are allowed two large medium or giants per day until
the quota is caught. There is still some uncertainty
regarding what the 2011 BFT quota will be. NMFS proposed a
controversial rule change of subtracting the estimated
discards of the pelagic longline fleet off the top of
combined total quota of all categories, in effect
drastically reducing the quotas we all fish under, and
allocating a huge amount of discard permanently to the
wasteful practices of the PLL fleet. We will see what
develops as NMFS heard from many unhappy tuna fishers on
that one !
Charter bookings are going quite strongly now that the sun
has started to show itself. Call or email to set aside a day
for your group. Some days and tides are better than others !
Don't wait till the good days are gone !
Hope to see you this year,
Capt. Bruce & "Marilyn S"
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© Offshore Pursuits LLC 2011 |
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