Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
24 July 2007
The fishing is picking Up
This has been one the strangest seasons I can remember. The weather is erratic at best. The wind seems to be always blowing in some direction and just a little too much for comfort.
The fish, what can we say about the fish. They are not doing what we're used to and going where we would like them to go. But I guess that's why it's called fishing?
Well, it seems we have cracked the code, or at least parts of it. The charter fleet has been able to ferret out when and where the wiley stripers are hiding. We are not setting the world afire but we are starting to land a good respectable amount of fish. Some of the really big fish are alluding us so we need your help in finding and landing them. Come down to Rock Harbor and ask Roxanne or talk directly to one of the captains and they will tell you how you can help.
What have the stripers been up to? They are still either on top of Billingsgate Shoals or on the north edge of the shoals. Lately they have been spread out. You could start down near the #1 can on the southwest end of the shoals and work right up the edge to right off Great Island and mostly land all the bass you would want. They will just hit occasionally. Also there are a number of undersize fish with the keeper mixed in. Jigging wire 320 foot of wire is the best method but the tube and worm is starting to be fairly productive. There is no shortage of bluefish here either. This is true with skates too.
Another area that is showing great promise is P-town. Large schools of bass are found from Long Point up towards the Bath House and Race Point. At times they are in on the flats in the shallow water and at other times out in the deep water outside the pots. Where they are determines the methods used to catch them. It can get crowded there especially on a commercial day when the bass can be caught and sold.
The second Rock Harbor Tournament is going to be held on the 1st of Aug. on the half day trip departing at 11:15 am. For those who are already booked on one of our boats are automatically entered. For those who want to get in on the second tourney there are boats still open, all you have to do is call Roxanne and the booth (508-255-9757) and ask her to get you on a boat for that day. The whole aspect of this seasons tournaments are to have fun and bring some recognition to the sport of fishing and to the facility at Rock Harbor in Orleans and what it has to offer to both the summer visitor and our local residents. The first one was a bit unorganized but the kinks have been worked out. It was still a lot of fun to do and be in some come join the second tourney of this season.
This last week we had some young folk do really well landing some good size bass. First is Henry Martin from Glen Ridge, N.J., who while fishing aboard the Luau landed a nice 34 inch bass. Jigging is a tough way to fish even for adults but when a 10 year old young man does it with ease it's good to see. Henry is just such a young man. He showed the adults aboard the Luau how it was done. The other young person is Miss Emily Ewen. This young lady has fished with me quite often. She loves to use my really light tackle. Her father Chris, who owns a summer home in Orleans, brings her every time he comes fishing. On this trip we used my new really light wire rig. It's like using a fresh water boat rod for large mouth bass as a jigging rod. Jigging by hand is how it works. Landing this fish is the challenge. Miss Emily did quite well.
If you'd like to try some of this light tackle call me at: 508-240-8267 or 508-255-6211.
E-mail: stunmai@copper.net
Wed site: www.capecodbaycharters.com
