Rock Harbor Fishing Report
By: Capt. Hap Farrell
31 Aug. 2007
The Weather & Fish are Cooperating
Finally, we are getting some weather that is tolerable, actually quite good. No Wind!!!! The fishing isn't too bad either, especially on the full day trips we take to Provincetown.
We had a busy week. Two tournaments were held out of Rock Harbor. On July 28th 2007 many of the charter boats that fish the waters of Cape Cod Bay were involved in a day long fishing tournament. For a few years now Eric Hubler has organized a tournament to raise money for the Athletic Department in the Nauset Regional School System in memory of Chris Svenningson. He has booked most of the charter boats who fish the bay. Boats from Barnstable Harbor, Sesuit Harbor, Rock Harbor, and even a boat from Provincetown. The weight of six stripers per boat determine the winner. There is also a prize for the smallest bluefish. It really doesn't matter who wins, it's that everyone enjoys themselves and some money is raised for a good cause.
The winners were, biggest bass and most weight went to the Gray Dolphin from Sesuit with second place going to the Osprey from Rock Harbor. The Watanye's crew, from Rock Harbor, won the prize for largest and smallest bluefish.
The second was our own little tourney. Again, all the boats in the Rock Harbor Charter Service were involved. The winners were rewarded with a plaque for biggest fish, bass or bluefish, and one for the second biggest fish. Other prizes were awarded but more on a humorous nature. As in the first tourney it was fun for everyone. To see pictures of the winners come down to the booth and look in the picture board this weekend. You'll see how much fun was had.
Now, where are the bass and what have they been up to? Lately, there have been three main areas where one can find an decent amount of bass. The first is on the north edge of Billingsgate Shoal, their normal hangout. Most of the time on the flood tide you can jig on the edge or just up on top and do quite well. Some days better that others. There is a fair amount of bluefish mixed in. The second is out in the deep water on the Square. This is 45 feet of water off the edge of the shoals. Here jigging with long wires (450 ft.) will work well along with the tube & worm. The third, if you want to take the ride and deal with the crowd is off the Bath House south of Race Point. Here, jigging is your best bet. Watch for the hang ups, there is a fair amount of them.
The bluefish, what are they doing? There are some in on South Sunken Meadow and off the Eastham shore but this area has thinned out recently. This is normal and these fish should be back in force soon. Right now the best area is out in the deep water mixed in with the bass. Just put out an umbrella rig on 150 foot wire set up and you'll have all you want. For those who want to plug for these fish wait a bit. They will be in off the Eastham shore soon and hungrier than ever. Just this last Tuesday a large school of bluefish both the small ones and big bluefish were found in tight to the path. They could well be on the way to the Sunken Meadow area.
This last week I had a new local person named Tom Gallagher. He just bought a house in Dennis and loves to fish. This is one of the reasons he moved to the Cape. Anyway, he was treated to using some of the really light wire tackle I've just put together. This is 30 lb. test wire on a soft action Shakespeare rod designed to fish for muskie and pike on the Great Lakes. The guides can handle the wire. Tom was able to land a nice 36 inch bass using this tackle. Not bad for a new kid on the block.
If you'd like to try some of this good mid summer fishing call me at: 508-240-8267 (cell) or 508-255-6211 (home).
