April & May 2003 Daily Fishing Reports

Even though Middle Ground has been red hot and good reports were filtering in from the islands, I just didn't want to fight any crowds. Instead, I headed to Barnstable where John Waring and Gene Bourque joined me for a relaxing day of fishing. Inside was a little quiet, so I headed to the waters off Chapin's Beach where it was fish city. Generally, the fish were small, but the bottom was paved with sand eels and the bass were swirling on the surface, sipping away; at time, an entire school came up on the surface with attendant gulls and terns. Gene had a real nice fish come up and take a Clouser, with all of us able to see the big head shake that eventually flipped the fly free. There's something extra special about watching fish cruising in gin clear waters and being able to share it with two folks who can really appreciate it.

It didn't seem possible, but the fishing was even better at Middle Ground this morning for Rob Leva and Steve Cassidy, with the average bass taking topwater plugs actually much larger. The best fish weighed 19 pounds on the BogaGrip and the top producing plugs were the hot pink Habs and white Gibbs' Polaris. I have to admit, watching big fish come up and bust a popping plug is about as exciting as it gets, and both Rob and Steve did a great job giving the fish a shot at taking the plug. And then the fun began, with 12 pound test outfits making for a real test of skill and the smoothness of a cork drag.

The weather broke today, with a little sunshine combined with little wind and a perfect rip, just in time for Mark Tenerowicz and Charles Mann to join me on a trip that the Mann's got Mark for Christmas. Well, it might not have been December, but Mark certainly got plenty of gifts today, with bass just crushing white Gibbs' Polarises for three hours straight. Most of the fish were 28+ inches, with at least three 32+ inches and very chunky. The acrobatics offered by the stripers today were phenomenal, with several of them coming completely out of the water with the plug tossed ahead of them. Both Mark and Charles showed the patience necessary to let the fish eat the plug rather than yanking it away from them. As has been true in the past, when these folks are aboard, the fishing is fast and furious. And you know you've had a good trip when the folks on board are willing to stop fishing due to sore arms!

With the sound almost flat calm, I put the boat in around four in the afternoon and shot over to MG, where I managed to fly rod three nice stripers before heading home to teach a night school class. Silicone head squid patterns continue to do the trick; I'm only using white, but I suspect I need to get cooking on some other colors just in case.

Those were the words offered by Rob Kiphut and his friend Dave, who managed a couple of bass and a decent blue on topwater plugs despite east wind and cold. On light tackle and 12 pound test mono, even a fish in the mid 20 inch range is a challenge to get out of the rip, and while topwater fishing doesn't generally result in as many hook-ups as using jigs or the like, it certainly is a hoot watching the fish blast a piece of wood or plastic into the air.

Today was set up with Rob Kiphut to do a double trip, first in the morning with him alone and then with his friends who were going with Captain Michael Doak to jig wire. Unfortunately, the wind was howling and the rips weren't set up at all for plugging, so after a brief visit to Middle Ground and the Hole, we adjourned until tomorrow when things looked a bit less hairy. And, yes, Rob's friends hammered fish with Capt. Doak.

All reports for today called for wind and snotty conditions, so I elected to call off a trip for some fly fishing. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to cast when the wind does its best to wrap the line around your head. Eventually, I got so frustrated that the bad stuff didn't show up that I hooked up the boat and made a determined effort to find the predicted crud. Gene Bourque was able to join me for a ride to Middle Ground and although plugs raised a few fish, the action wasn't great but at least the ride was far more pleasant than any of the weathermen had predicted.

After taking care of dog duties and coaching duties, I got around to hooking boat up and headed to Green Pond for a trip to Middle Ground. Nobody else was around or willing to go along, so I gladly launched the Katie G. myself and made a lumpy ride over to the Vineyard. As I had heard, there were some gulls on the rip and some fish as well, although it was mid-current on the east and not my favorite conditions. Fortunately, what fish there were liked my white squid fly, patterned after Bob Popovics' Siliclone series, and a couple hours of casting produced two fish between 30 and 32 inches and one backbreaker that busted me up and ended up being fat and between 36 and 38 inches. All measurements are only estimates as I prefer to just lean over the gunwale and leave the fish in the water for an easy release. Although the fish were fun, the best part of the day was my first cast, where my stubborness and an east wind off my right shoulder put that 3/0 hook into the collar of my shirt and a bit into my neck. From then on it was backcasting rather than serious chuck-and-duck. It didn't seem like popping plugs were doing much for the spinning folks, while my 350 grain line brought the fly down a couple of feet below the surface of the fast moving water where I got to see all three takes. The trip back was a piece of cake and the new rollers and Glyde Slicks make loading the boat even easier than before.

I had grand designs on putting the boat in the water for one more shakedown cruise, but got sidetracked with work. I really hate when work interferes with fishing! So, instead I made some cursory casts at a number of prime locations in Bourne. Since moving here about five years ago, I have really come to appreciate the fishy habitat all around. Shore fishing still produced only small fish, but it looks like I made a mistake not going with the boat since there are schools of good fish out in Buzzards Bay that need some company.

The change in tide was later than I liked, but I elected to chance a visit to the west end of the Ditch to see if stripers still eat white Deceivers. Sure enough, there were some fish around in the very early AM, and although I much prefer the change to the east current, the drop of the west was kind to me as I landed my first good fish of 2003, a bass closer to 36 inches than 30 inches (I have to admit that I am terrible about estimated lengths; maybe I should carry one of those On The Water tape measures like my friend Gene says.) Getting up that early made for a tough day at work, although I did manage a few winks before I reported for duty at a job right on Falmouth Harbor - and don't think that doesn't make for tough concentration when driving nails home!

Conditions again were prime for a worm hatch, but after finishing my class around 9 PM I just couldn't get motivated to do any serious fishing, so I just sniffed around Pocasset for the omnipresent schoolies. Sure enough, they were around and I actually enjoyed watching them more than catching, although the five weight is a blast with these mini-fish and six pound tippet.

It seemed like summer was upon us in an instant today, with temperatures in the low 70's and heavy air that seemed almost oppressive. I was working with my brother in Cotuit and the son of the folks we were working for told us that Popponesset had some good fish from the shore in the early morning. I also spied a couple of boats drifting across Shoestring Bay, apparently doing some sightcasting. But with a full moon and bright sunshine, conditions were ripe for a worm hatch or two and sure enough Green Pond, Great Pond, and Bourne's Pond all had bass slurping on those cinderworms. Word has it that West Falmouth was also the site of a good hatch. All I can say is that simple, marabou worm patterns still work just fine.

Today the first of the next generation of Peroses graduating from college, with my brother Pete's daughter Callie receiving her diploma with honors from Stonehill College. It was probably the most beautiful day of the spring so far, and while I'm sure other folks were catching fish (do I hear that Middle Ground is turning on?), I wouldn't have missed this ceremony for anything - and that includes a 50 pound bass!

Today the wind howled out of the east and northeast, so I applied eyes and epoxied heads on dozens of flies. Jim Young said they weighed in a nice 30 pounder from the southside down around Popponesset and the bluefish are around in good numbers as well.

I learned this morning from Gene Bourque that West Falmouth was alive where he was with fish to 30 inches. He tried everything in his fly box, but his buddy Jim Bowen who was fishing a white popper managed a couple of 30 inchers and had some serious swirls from what looked like bigger bass. Eric Stapelfield of Hairball Charters was on the water today jigging that wire around Middle Ground, and while the morning trip was a bit slow with eight fish to 36 inchers, the afternoon saw plenty of good fish. The waters around upper Buzzards Bay are seeing more and bigger fish as well and tonight was a good night to be on the water, with some good bass taking flies working very slowly.

This evening I got to do some fly casting instruction with Bill O'Rourke, a really nice guy who has that natural knack for the long wand. Bill's a quick study and is very interested in learning, so I suspect it won't be long before he's banging out long casts consistently. On the way home, I looked around West Falmouth and saw plenty of fly guys in spots I intended to try. Since I have no interest in crowding my way in, I headed elsewhere. After dinner, I decided to try for just one schoolie and after about 10 minutes of casting, it was mission accomplished. It seems more bass are moving in each day.

After observing the commercial squid boats to the east off Osterville and Hyannis, the last couple of days they have been off Falmouth, hopefully a good sign that more bait is headed for our rips, as in Middle Ground. The only thing I've heard is a couple of small fish for the boat crew on the southside, with some blues and even a couple of fluke at Succonesset. I ran into Capt. Doug Jowett today and he said the fishing has been slow so far, but word has it that warmer water from the ponds and bays has been kicking things into gear when it dumps, especially at night.

After dinner and a talk with the Buzzards Bay Power Squadron, I stepped outside to find the rain had stopped and elected to hit a little Pocasset spot I like. Sure enough, there were some pre-schoolies around who were willing to take the fly. I know most folks want big fish, but there's something very reassuring about such small stripers showing that characteristic pugnacious quality, as well as the perfect of black/green stripes on a silvery background. It's my fervent hope that the so-called fisheries managers don't ruin what has become a wonderful thing, but at least there are some fish from a more recent year class that may get the chance, if they're lucky, to become classically big fish.

After dinner and a talk with the Buzzards Bay Power Squadron, I stepped outside to find the rain had stopped and elected to hit a little Pocasset spot I like. Sure enough, there were some pre-schoolies around who were willing to take the fly. I know most folks want big fish, but there's something very reassuring about such small stripers showing that characteristic pugnacious quality, as well as the perfect of black/green stripes on a silvery background. It's my fervent hope that the so-called fisheries managers don't ruin what has become a wonderful thing, but at least there are some fish from a more recent year class that may get the chance, if they're lucky, to become classically big fish.

Talking with Gene today, we both agreed that early morning humidity and sun might make for a worm hatch somewhere today, especially with the moon tides upon us. But as the day progressed, the wind picked up and it got cloudy and cool. Gene picked up a couple of fish in West Falmouth, but I went empty in Mo Beach, although the sight of some herring dunkers around suggests that the fishing has been decent. Word is bigger stripers have moved in around the west entrance to the Canal, a rumor I am going to check out tomorrow.

With Kate off to visit her mom and Mollie not feeling well, I elected to stay around the house and do some chores. Managed to revent the dryer and finish up a few details on the boat, but most of my attention was on Mollie, who at 13 1/2 is really starting to feel her age, especially with tumors all over her body. It's pretty amazing how dogs have such patience and good spirits even when they are hurting. The Canal is rumored to be picking up, with plenty of those nice 28 to 30 inch fish that are sagacious DMF folks are allowing recreationals to decimate. A wind shift and some showers tonight just might kick off things tomorrow.

On what had to be one of the nicest days of the spring so far, I had planned to put the boat in and poke around Hog Island, Stony Point, and the Mashnee Flats, but I got sidetracked by some fly tying and work around the house. Even did some painting for my brother and checked out the southside ponds, but all I could see was some herring dunkers around Menauhant. Heard that Trunk River went quiet after a couple of hot days and big crowds, a clear indication that a school of fish might move in for a day or two and then move on, with another pod soon to arrive. This can make for some sporadic activity, meaning that relying on a report this time of year to make plans can be dangerous and often unproductive.

Sure enough, Gene got his keeper last night, a 30 inch fish on a Bob Hahn yellow Danny and he is enjoying striped bass for dinner tonight. As for yours truly, I'm still picking and occasionally grinning, although today was spent putting in a new steering system in the Katie G. as well as tweaking a few bolts on the trailer. Although I can handle carpentry just fine, having been brought up by one, mechanical stuff often is frustrating for me, but the cable replacement and installation of new helm went rather well, I must admit, although it is one messy job. I finally replaced all of the rollers with Stoltz Super Rollers and added SlickGuides to my bunks, but now I have a boat that just wants to fly off the trailer and won't stay stuck when I go to retrieve it. Oh well, something else to work on between sniffing out a schoolie or two around Toby Island, but the Canal is showing some larger fish so my confidence at getting an appreciable bass for the first time this year on the long wand increases with each passing day.

The word from Gene Bourque this morning was that Andy Nabreski managed a 40 inch, 22 pound fish livelining herring around Trunk River, as well as a few more fish over 28 inches. Clearly, there has been a push of much nicer fish along the southside, although Jim Young told me that folks livelined herring in the Hole and hit Middle Ground with no luck. I suspect the water there is still a bit cold, while inshore sunny weather this week kicked the water up to the low to mid 50's (surface temps) and with herring around to provide a free meal, fishing around a run is the ticket. Gene went down to this area in hopes of hitting a fish with a plug and invited me along, but I'm not interested in the crowds that frequent this area and elected to keep to myself around Pocasset, where schoolies are still the norm but have been signs of some larger fish as well. I've been using mostly Brook's Blondes in olive/white or Clousers in the same color combination or chartreuse/white, but I also intend to break out the herring flies very soon.

All signs indicate good fishing in the Weweantic and Agawam Rivers, which means the edges of Hog Island and inside Monument Beach should be picking up as well. Apparently, many of the stripers being caught are between 28 and 30 inches, but be assured that this time of year is often hit-or-miss, with a pod of fish moving in to feed and then a bit of quiet for a tide or two. Things are definitely in the migration mode, with no bet a sure thing. For me, I keep avoiding the crowds and continue to pick up a fish or two from shore in Bourne.

After finishing teaching my fly fishing class at the Falmouth Night School, I poked around a couple of spots in Bourne before heading home. It seems more schoolies are showing up all the time and there was more bait activity as well. What I've found interesting is that folks who fish West Falmouth say it's been quiet, while around Bassetts Island and Wings Neck there have been stories of fish up to 30 inches being caught. There is no doubt that the Mashnee Flats should also be showing life, with the dropping tide always a good bet. I just might have to drag my sorry derriere out of bed one morning this week to give it a shot.

Today was supposed to be my first charter of the season, but I have no interest in taking someone's money for a boat ride (unless that's what they book!), so I made plans with Neal Cunningham to get together in June when hopefully things will be back to normal. Speaking of which, I kind of think we have been spoiled the last couple of years with an abundance of fish by late April and early May; a look back will tell us the timetable was more mid-May years ago when we saw good numbers of bass invading our waters. Anyway, Gene Bourque called me and asked if I wanted to head over to Cotuit to try our luck. We both had no interest in the Narrows because of what publicity has done to this area, and sure enough we heard from one angler that there was no room for another car in the parking area and we spied a veritable picket line of anglers from our vantage point elsewhere in Cotuit Bay. Steve Shiraka arrived as I was finishing up twisting together a new leader and told me he had caught fish in the morning where we were now standing, albeit on a small swimming plug. The current never really got moving on the outgoing the way we liked, but we all managed a few schoolies, with Gene managing one that neared 24 inches. I was pretty much in my own little world, but smiled as Gene and Steve swapped stories, especially about some of the larger bass that can be had in Cotuit later on. I've been fortunate to get in on some of that action, but I'm also glad that I have a boat because it seems there are more fishermen popping up in certain areas that one can find dandelions in a proper Cape Cod lawn!

I revisited the same area I had haunted the two previous days and this time found a couple of trucks there already, and I recognized one as a vehicle that held an angler who watched me land my fish the day before. They were spin fishing, tossing either chunks of herring or small jigs, or both. I didn't see them catch any fish and I wondered why they weren't fishing where I had caught schoolies that last two days. Eventually, they drove off and I didn't see them catch any fish, but as confident as I was of the water I liked, I wondered if they had a hole that had produced for them in the past down where they were. But that didn't mean I had any desire to change my routine, although tonight I just sat and listened to the tinkle of bait and marvel at the widening circle that a bass makes when it feeds on the surface.

I just had to hit the same area I fished the day before to see if what I enticed to an olive Brook's Blonde the day before was a fluke. Sure enough, after trying all kinds of strips, mends, and the like, I went to the slow, deep move and was rewarded with a larger fish, probably about 20 inches that gave me a little tussle on the seven weight that I had set up with eight pound tippet. After that fish, I just sat and watched bait dimpling the surface and the occasional pop of a schoolie, content in the knowledge that even oil slicks can't put Mother Nature off her schedule.

I've always found it interesting how I just sort of get dragged to Popponesset for my first fishing since that was my first stomping grounds. Even when I moved to West Falmouth, I would make the long drive to Poppy, skipping over what might have been fish in my backyard. Well, since I've moved to Pocasset, I've fought that inclination because I really like the look of the water up here and there are fewer fishermen in most of the spots. Today, I hit a little area that often holds a schoolie or two, although the tide was incoming and not moving much. I got the rust out of my arm and the fly rod felt good to hold once again, but honestly I didn't expect to get much more than a little casting practice. Wouldn't you know it that a slow drift and slow steady strip was met with first a bump and then a feisty little striper, covered with lice and looking nice and bright. I couldn't help but admire that fish as I held it in the water before its release, once again glad that I live on the Cape with all its treasures around me.

Frankly, I put April and May together this year because work on the boat, cold weather, and a lack of fish kept me from getting my usual start. Today was the first time I did some serious fishing, rather than just poking around the southside and looking for signs of bait and fish. I had heard of some holdovers in the Wareham rivers and had actually been working in Onset with my brother on a job, but I carried a rod on the road and just couldn't get motivated to take action. Fortunately, the last few days have seen better weather, so it looks like it's time to get things going.