So far this September we've had some very good fishing. We've also had some decent weather to go along with it. The bass have been very cooperative by staying on or around Billingsgate shoals. For the boats in the Barnstable harbor area there have been bass in the channel in the harbor itself and, on occasion, over by Scorton Creek. The charter fleet out of Barnstable has been doing very well in both of these locations. The Rock Harbor Fleet Still has a lock on the shoals but since we all work together both fleets do very well there. For the most part the shoals is producing the most activity for both bass and bluefish.
This time of year the air temperature cools and this will slowly cool the water temperature. This in turn affects the fishing. The bluefish seem to move into the deeper water and are harder to find in the shallow areas like along the Eastham shore and up tight to the Path and along the Welfleet/Truro shore line. On sunny days without much wind the bluefish will sometimes move up into these areas but it is the exception. Most of the fishermen looking for bluefish for bait have a hard time getting the right size bluefish this time of the year.
Finding small bass is another story. From now on more and more schools of undersize bass will be showing up on the south edge of the shoals, along the Brewster Flats, up on top of the shoals in the grass patches, and many other areas similar to them. There are some fish that are just over the 28 inch limit mixed in with these smaller fish.
Let me give you an example of what is happening in the course of a half day trip from Rock Harbor. At first most of the larger bass are found just up on the shoals in 18 to 20 feet of water. We start about in the middle and work northeast or southwest, whichever is showing the most activity. Just around high water the fish seem to move out into 20 to 25 feet of water and move to the northeast slightly. By the time the tide is starting to move the main body of fish have wound up in the deep water north and northeast of the shoals. Once the tide starts back in the fish move back. This should keep up for a while, we hope. Jigging, umbrella rigs, or the tube and worm seem to work with jigging being the most productive.
This last weekend I had a group from Boston in the city itself. They had come see how good the fishing in the bay really was. Michael and Mario DelMonaco, Joe and Anthony Cappuccio, Joe Wright, and George Gleason fished the full day trip out of our harbor. The fishing was good, not gang busters, but good. We landed a good number of keepers, a number of small bass, and a good amount of bluefish. All the stripers were taken on the jig while some of the bluefish were landed using the hootchie in the outriggers. Because of the boat traffic we didn't use the riggers that much. Anthony Cappuccio landed the biggest bass he'd ever caught. It was a solid 25 pound fish. It wasn't the biggest fish we caught that day, but it was his biggest and that's what counted.
If you like to get in on this good fall fishing give me a call at: 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267 before the fish head south for the winter.
