Cape Cod Fishing Report – June 24, 2021
The June full moon hasn't disappointed with good inshore and offshore action.
Photo Credit: Cape Cod Charter Guys
If you knew where to look, the fishing prior to the full moon has been incredible at times, both inshore and offshore. Large stripers surpassing 50 pounds were caught in the Cape Cod Canal and the school bluefin tuna bite is hot at the moment. The Vineyard is holding some slot and over-slot stripers and the same goes for the Cape Cod Bay.
Cape Cod Fishing Report
Tim at Eastman’s Sport & Tackle in Falmouth told me striper fishing has been very slow for slot fish, but there are a lot of smaller fish for shore anglers. The Canal picked up prior to the full moon as bass pinned mackerel and bunker along the banks. Stripers have been chasing squid at Middle Ground and there have been quite a few bonito reports from the Vineyard. School-sized bluefin up to 47 inches have been biting at The Claw for several weeks now. Tim says fluke fishing has been slow this season.
Kurt at Fishsticks Charters out of Martha’s Vineyard says the fishing has been really good for stripers and bluefish despite the tough weather. There are lots of fish stripers around feeding on small squid in the rips, but not many keepers in the mix.
Fishtale Sportfishing out of Harwich Port reports small stripers around Monomoy and a few slot-sized fish. Bottom fishing has been okay southeast of Nantucket where they’ve been finding decent fluke but no numbers.
Peter at Larry’s Tackle Shop at Martha’s Vineyard told me there are lots of bluefish on the east side of the island and into the rips. Striper action is picking up at night with some bigger fish being taken up island in the 20 to 30-pound range. Chappy is also holding some fish into the teens. Peter says the offshore bluefin bite at The Dump has been really good.
AJ at Red Top Sporting Goods in Buzzards Bay says the Canal popped off Tuesday night at the west end of the Canal with a lot of 30 to 50-pound fish on bunker. Keeper sea bass are still holding in Buzzards Bay, but the action at Cleveland’s Ledge hasn’t been as good in comparison to 2020.
Elena of Reel Deal Charters out of Truro says striper fishing has been good off Provincetown with fish up to 48 and 50 inches. Live-lining mackerel has been the best technique for bass and there have also been some 6 to 8-pound bluefish in the mix.
Captain Mel True of Fishnet Charters reported that the sea bass bite is good in 50 feet of water in Buzzards Bay. The striper bite, according to Captain Mel, has been sporadic, with the fish here today and gone tomorrow. When they are around, he’s been having good success with live bunker and topwaters.
Amy at Sports Port Bait & Tackle reports good bluefish action from the beaches and boat in Cotuit and Osterville. The majority of the fish are in the 3 to 4-pound range but there are 6 and 7 pounders in the mix. Keeper black sea bass are being taken at the Succonnesset rips. Fluke fishing has been good at Middle Ground and Lucas Shoal and there are some keepers around. On the bay side, Barnstable Harbor is giving up some slot-sized fish, and Billingsgate Shoal has over-slot fish, but the action has been spotty.
Ross of Cape Cod Charter Guys in Bourne told me striper action has been consistent in the bay over the past week. Yesterday, he and his clients left thousands of stripers feeding on the surface from Billingsgate all the way to the Race. On a recent trip, they watched bluefin tuna up to an estimated 800 pounds slash through schools of mackerel and bunker for over 10 minutes. “It sounded like a shotgun going off,” Ross says.
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Cape Cod Forecast
With clouds, fog, and showers in the forecast for tonight’s full moon, there should be a shot at large bass everywhere from Martha’s Vineyard, to Buzzards Bay, the Canal, all the way through Cape Cod Bay, and up to Provincetown. The Vineyard seems to have the most consistent fishing for bass and blues at the moment, but not necessarily the largest fish. Breaking tides will continue at the Canal on the backside of the full moon, creating stronger than usual currents, and a better probability of macks or bunker to push through.
My coworker Anthony DeiCicchi went 7 for 10 today on bluefin tuna, confirming the hot offshore bite.
It’s worth taking a peek at the south Cape beaches for consistent bluefish action. There might even be a chance for blues up to 7 or 8 pounds on a topwater plug.
Buzzards Bay isn’t producing as many large sea bass in comparison to early June, but they’re still there and great to take home for the dinner table.
Massachusetts NOAA Marine Forecast
19 on “Cape Cod Fishing Report – June 24, 2021”
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Mark The bass are less every year. I dont like the slot limit because stripers of all generations where heavily effective so now we are continuing to wipe out slot fish . Theres too many seals too many commercial fisherman and too many anglers . The canal majority of the time this year seems slower than other years .The striper population came back when we enforced the one per day over 36 inches . So why did we change it . It worked the industry was getting strong a proven method that works but by taking out the slot fish in the future there’s a generation of slot fish that never make it to trophy size .
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Dolan James If the managers of the fishery weren’t so corrupt we’d have plenty of fish for all. The gov’t is corrupt, the financial system, everything. The rich and powerful are served, and the little guy gets sh*t on. These fish will have to be on the edge of extinction and the comms will have to move on to another source before anything meaningful is done. What is OTW doing to help out? Nothing.
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Ed Mark, I agree 1000%
I spent a week fishing the canal mid-june and have never seen so many seals.Its definitely something that needs to be addressed . 1 at 36″ would have been great, unfortunately money wins everytime. Sadly in a few years the fishery will collapse…then what… -
Van I would agree with Mark that there are too many seals. There’s actually less commercial fishermen than there were because people are getting other occupations or fishing for tuna. Commercial Striped Bass fishing doesn’t make a living wage anymore because the fishing is inconsistent. There’s a lot of pressure that’s driving fish to the EEZ. My sonar lights up with bass just passing through that zone at the Cape. Seals tend not to venture there because sharks will ambush them.
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Cape I total agree with you Mark. 36 inch rule worked. Why fix when it s not broken. Make
Striped bass a sport fish!
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Charles I agree 100% with Mark. one fish over 36″ worked and that conservation brought them back. Then it went to 32″ because it worked so well. Then It went to 2 fish at 29″ per day and then one at 28″. And NOW it is one fish at 28-35″ and you cant buy a fish to eat. I have seen two nice fish this week a 41″ on the fly and a 38″ on a circle hook released in great shape. Find a slot fish? Nearly impossible.
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Nick Mucci too much hype too much information and too many people with nothing but money and time why not let the fisherman find the fish we all did Ok before the OTW fishing reports you’ll destroy the striper fishery and now your poised to collapse the fragile tuna stocks sell your merchandise and leave the fish alone
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Rod Delgado what is going to happen when someone catches a State Record Striped Bass how do we get this on record if we cant keep it? I thing they should sale Trophy Bass Tags $5.00 each but the Fish must be 60″ (example someone needs to do the math for minimum Length to be a record) but all i’m trying to say is they would sale a ton a permits and the chance the get a Fish that big the odds aren’t in your favor but.
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steve good points
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John I have an issue with conflicting reports in the same week. ie one charter says “Billingsgate Shoal has over-slot fish, but the action has been spotty.” Another says “thousands of stripers feeding on the surface from Billingsgate all the way to the Race”
Does OTW even read/review these reports?????????? -
Bill from Falmouth As someone who has fished Vineyard Sound for 15 years, I just cannot fathom why the braintrust at the state level allows draggers so close to shore here off Falmouth. There’s little enough there as it is. Go offshore with the big boys. As it is, catching a keeper sized fluke is a rarity and just a few years ago Lucas Shoal was loaded. I feel like I am talking to the choir.
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Ed from Pocasset The fishing the last 2 seasons has been so sad. I feel when I go in a boat or from shore, few people are finding anything more than schoolies. Even the guys searching via radar are having a tough go. It’s ok to admit the fishing stinks for stripers. Don’t tell me it’s cyclical, when so many fish are removes from a biomass and you combine that with changing water temps and inshore water quality…….it’s a sad immediate future for these bass. OTW will soon provide Scup and Sea Robin reports and keep pretending things are ok. Thanks fellas
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Cape So true!!! Scup and sea robin report…. lol but true and sad.
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Vince Plenty of fish out there! The environment has changed and the fish have adjusted. Get a boat and go exploring;)
I’ve seen more trophy fish than ever!-
Joseph Del Guidice Vince, I agree…The environment is changing and the fish are responding. Last year we found giant schools of bass in Boston Harbor. I live on the cape and am surrounded by water, travelling an hour north to find the same fish that I used to catch from shore. Sure, there is pressure on the fishery from anglers, thus requiring state intervention in the form of new regulations. As some have pointed out, these regulations may not be effective….Time will tell. However, another piece of the puzzle is gradually warming seas, resulting from human impact on the environment. This factor which has been overlooked in all this discussion, is pushing the migration of these fish further north, little by little, every year. If you think that scientifically proven climate changes have no effect on this migratory species, I have a bridge to sell you…REAL cheap. Consider all factors.
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charlie These idiots protect the seals and the sharks. They say there are 100,000 seals on the cape. At 200lbs each that translates to 20,000,000 lbs PER DAY of stripers ,baby lobsters and all other fish combined,because a 200lb seal eats it’s weight per day x 100,000 seals. And a 1000lb white shark also eats its weight per day on the same species,including the seals. So who’s shitting who,it’s not the fishermen depketing the stocks it,s all the seals and sharks.
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charlie These idiots protect the seals and the sharks. They say there are 100,000 seals on the cape. At 200lbs each that translates to 20,000,000 lbs PER DAY of stripers ,baby lobsters and all other fish combined,because a 200lb seal eats it’s weight per day x 100,000 seals. And a 1000lb white shark also eats its weight per day on the same species,including the seals. So who’s shitting who,it’s not the fishermen depleting the stocks it’s all the seals and sharks.
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Ed Managed to get out 3 times after work fishing the east end, no other fisherman around, fishing with cut bait, within 45 minutes a seal would pop up right in front of me. So I left, the last time I was down fishing the same spot ,a seal popped up right in front of me with a striper in its mouth., taunting me.
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Brian I saw 3 seals in the Canal this morning. I can’t every remember seeing them there when I was a kid, and I’m 41 years old
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