Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
5 Sept. 2007
Tourists May Go, But the Fish Stay
The summer season may be coming to a close but the fishing sure hasn't. This Labor Day weekend was a fisherman's dream. The Rock Harbor Fleet treated their anglers to some very good bass fishing. The full day trips were a little more active but the half day trips held their own. Some really big bass were landed. One party, fishing on the Osprey, landed a bass that weighed in at a solid 53 pounds. Most of the action was on Billingsgate Shoals either jigging or using the tube and worm. I know on both of my trips the tube and worm system landed my anglers a number of big bass some in the thirty pound class but most between 18 and 22 pounds. The rest of the boats did the same. Hopefully this will continue on a regular basis.
The month of September can give us some of the best fishing of the whole season. The bluefish are as active as ever and the water cools enough to bring large numbers of bass out of the deep water and up on the shoals where we can find them easier. This doesn't happen every day, obviously, but much more frequently than during mid-summer. The nights cool the water off and the bait comes up on the shoals where both the bass and bluefish can get to them. The cooler water perks up the larger bass so they are up with the rest of the fish and more susceptible to us and our wily ways. There seems to be a worm hatch happening now, making the tube and worm system more productive, which is a good thing.
This time of the season Billingsgate Shoals is the center of most of the striped bass activity. The shoals is a big place, it's over six miles long and a mile and a half at its widest. The tides move across it pulling up the bait and the fish. This area is where you should start anything of your fishing excursions. As far as numbers of bluefish, I'd first try in along the Eastham shore up towards Sunken Meadow then out in front of Great Island and up towards the Path out in twenty feet of water. These areas will stay good right up 'til Columbus Day Weekend.
The final Rock Harbor Tournament was held on the 30th of August. The basic reason for holding these three tournaments was to reacquaint the harbor to the newcomers to the Lower Cape area. To show them what Rock harbor provides in the way of sportfishing. These new summer visitors may not realize that we have some of the best fishing in New England.
The winners are: Biggest Fish - Neil Ridly, Second Biggest Fish - Martin O'Day, Smallest Fish - Hunter Meyer, Most Fish Caught - Matt Sorando, Most Fish Lost - John Bode, Ugliest Fish - Dwight Warren, Youngest Angler - Annie Sorando, and last but by no means least, the Most Experienced Angler - Bob Hayes. The real winners are those who will be telling their friends about that fish that got away when they were out on a boat from Rock Harbor.
On Labor Day I took my wife, Annie, and two of her friends out for some of this good Cape Cod Bay fishing. Annie and Doris work at Snows and don't get much time to fish during the summer. Jim Ruland had done some fishing but was a little surprised when he landed a nice 20 lb. bass. Doris Tardif had her hands full with a hard fighting bluefish. Annie, who always gets the biggest fish, stayed true to form and landed a nice 25 lb. bass. It looks as if we'll all be eating bass well into this winter.
There are still plenty of fish out there, so if you'd like to try get one for yourself give me a call at: 508-255-6211 or 508-240-8267.
E-mail: stunmai@copper.net
Web Site: www.capecodbaycharters.com
