On The Water - Cape Cod Fishing Forecast

Even though it’s only the first week in September, a large amount of Cape Cod fishermen have been pulling their boats over the past couple days, not because it’s the end of the season, but because of Earl. The hurricane, projected to reached the Cape late Friday/early Saturday, will definitely keep fishing to a minimum during that time period, and at this point, we can only speculate what the water conditions and fishing will look like for the rest of the weekend.
To be frank, if the storm hits with the magnitude NOAA is suggesting as of Thursday at lunchtime, this week’s fishing report will be moot. Fifty mile-per-hour winds, higher gusts, rough seas and surging water levels will move around a lot of bait and fish, and where the good fishing will be after the storm is anybody’s guess.
My concern is that this storm will severely disrupt the bumper crop of peanut bunker currently growing in many South Side and Buzzards Bay harbors. It’s been three years since we had a good run of peanut bunker in the fall, and, not surprisingly, it’s been three years since we had a memorable fall run. Last year’s run went out with a whimper after never really getting started in the first place, but with awesome bass fishing to our north, and more bait around the Cape than we’ve seen in quite some time, this fall was shaping up to be a good one. Until Earl that is.
Tuna and Offshore

     One thing to remember, however, is that this storm is hitting early enough that it might be enough to jump-start the fall fishing frenzy. Bluefin tuna and offshore anglers have high hopes for the fishing post-Earl, because many of them feel that fishing for yellowfin and bluefin couldn’t be worse. The far eastern canyons, such as Oceanographers, are absolutely loaded with fish, according to Tim at Bad Fish Outfitters, who’s keeping his fingers crossed that Earl brings some of those fish back within range of his boat. His recent canyon overnighter gave up a large number of mahi, a single 80-pound yellowfin and a shot at a white marlin.
     For bluefin, Dan at the Hook Up said the 90-foot depths off of Chatham were loaded with tuna on Tuesday. Dan was aboard the Tammy Rose with Captain Eric Stewart and the tuna-tagging team, and the goal was to catch as many tuna as possible and send them back to sea with a satellite tag. On Tuesday, Dan watched in awe as bluefin from 30 to over 60 inches fed in massive numbers. The crew had numerous knockdowns, and landed and tagged two fish, a 53-incher and a 67-incher. Both tuna sped off upon the release, and should provide valuable data as we continue to learn all we can about these magnificent fish.
Cape Cod Canal and Buzzards Bay
     Bass fishing in the canal was slow this week, according to Mike at M and D’s in Wareham. Fish into the 40s were taken, but most of the few bass caught hovered between 5 and 20 pounds. Blues also made an appearance in the Big Ditch, particularly the West End, where choppers to nearly 15 pounds crushed surface lures.
     Paul from Red Top Sporting Goods suggested that the fishing might light up just before the storm. Dirty water and weeds brought on by the heavy winds and water will likely make fishing difficult in the days following the storm.
     The false albacore that were feeding on the Vineyard and in scatter pods on the South Side of the Cape and in Buzzards Bay pulled a disappearing act on Tuesday. On Sunday, I saw plenty of the speed demons slashing through bait schools that included anchovies, spearing and peanut bunker, but by Tuesday, a friend of mine, avid false albacore hunter Randy Dennis, said the fishing had all but dried up. Similar reports came from Tim at Bad Fish Outfitters who said despite popping up in good numbers on Monday off Old Silver Beach, the albies have been nowhere to be seen since.
Outer Cape
     As they have been all summer, anglers trolling tube-and-worm rigs off Race Point are hooking plenty of bass according to Jim at Nelsons. Kayakers and boaters both have been getting in on the action. Big bluefish blitzed the beaches this past week, something outer cape surfcasters hope to see more of this fall.
Best Bets for the Weekend

Batten down the hatches – if you have any hatches that still need battening. If not, focus on safety over fishing this weekend. After the conditions clear, make a few exploratory missions to see where Earl has moved the baitfish, bass, blues and false albacore.

Do you have a current great catch photo? Email it to us and you might just see it in the fishing report. Send photos to photos@onthewater.com, and be sure to include the angler's name and the size of fish.