Captain Kirstyn reports: It has been a great start to the week out here on Cape Cod Bay. We had a couple of great crews out on Monday and Tuesday who were lucky to experience the Bay at its best. Not only has the weather been amazing, but the fishing as well.
Monday began a little tentatively as we left the harbor a couple of minutes after our scheduled departure time. The mood quickly improved when I heard one of the other captains report that there were fish everywhere in the deep water a bit south of the shoals. Just look for the boats and birds, he suggested. Only four miles away from Rock Harbor, the bait, birds, and fish were certainly hard to miss, let alone all the boats. While there were only three of us charter boats out, there were plenty of other sport fisherman out, enjoying the great fishing and wonderful weather -- it was one of those days where the bay is as calm as a lake. Hardly rare, but definitely few enough to appreciate.
With the fish busting at the surface of the water, we set out our rigs and bombers and almost immediately doubled up on fish. The best fishing was in the first twenty minutes of the trip, but we continuously caught fish in the remaining time, including only three throwbacks and one forty incher, caught on a bomber. Overall, it was a little slower than one might expect with fish everywhere, but with all the bait around for the fish to feed on, it's not surprising that they might be a little full.
Tuesday, the weather was just as nice, and the fishing even better. The fish were right where we left them on Monday, and with fewer boats around, it was even easier to catch them. Again, we set out the rigs and caught plenty of fish. I lost count of all the fish we caught, and very few of them were smaller than 28 inches. The fish were still busting on the surface, but as soon as we approached them, they sank quickly to the bottom, where I continuously marked them on the fish finder. I was tempted to switch to jigs at the end, but with three adults who were getting worn out, a young girl, and a yorkshire terrier (who wasn't fishing so much as barking at the fish that were already caught), I figured we could take it easy -- and the crew agreed. And we still caught plenty of fish.
Overall, it's been a great start to the week. Even with the change of weather, I hope the fishing will continue to be great into this weekend -- and on into the rest of the season.
