Funny Fish on the South Side & Big Bass in Cape Cod Bay
Welcome to another edition of the My Fishing Cape Cod Podcast presented by Cape & Islands Mitsubishi and The Olde Cape Carwash. In this episode, we are joined by Ian McPartland of the Goose Hummock in Orleans. Ian provides a live report from the south side that false albacore have stuck around and are actively feeding after the storm, and big striped bass have been pushed closer to shore inside Cape Cod Bay.
There is one headline that matters more than any other: the big northeast blow did not end the funny fish season. That prolonged storm, which battered the Cape, had plenty of anglers worried that false albacore and bonito would pack up and leave the south side and the sounds early. According to Ian, the fish are still here, the bait is still here, and the fall run is very much alive.
Ian has been grinding for the past three weeks. He fished extensively from his kayak for funny fish leading up to the storm, fished the beaches of Cape Cod Bay for big striped bass during the blow, and was reporting from a beach parking lot with his kayak riding shotgun when we caught up with him today!
Weed, Wash, and Big Bass
Ian's timing for the blow was a little unlucky. He and the Goose crew left on Wednesday, two days before the storm really started to hit, to work the Norwalk boat show. He admits he was kicking himself for the timing, because he knew the bite was going to turn on. He had been on the water Tuesday night before packing up, and even then the water was already starting to get dirty, with plenty of seaweed to contend with.
That dirty water is the story of a nor'easter. Other anglers, including several My Fishing Cape Cod members, had success in the bay during the northeast wind, and the general theme was that the falling pressure and the building front seemed to ignite the bite and get migratory fish moving. Ian could not stay away once he got back, and he got out in time to find out what the fish were doing.
Weed was the biggest obstacle. Ian did not mince words about it: he would rather catch no fish than deal with weed, which gums up the guides and is just the worst. He described the water in the wash in some areas he tried as looking like "root beer". As Sam Mullen noted last week, it's important to avoid the stretches of beach where weed piles up. In some spots in the bay, the weed sits in the first hundred yards from shore. Fish need to see a relatively clean presentation, and a clump of weed on your line or leader is a dead giveaway.
As for what produced, Ian was throwing a big Mag Darter into the suds. He has always joked that he has a curse when it comes to buying a new plug for a specific night, since a first-cast hookup is usually a bad omen. This time his buddy had said the Mag Darter was the magic plug the night before, so he bought one, went down, and was tight on the first cast. The curse was officially broken!
Funny Fish Along the South Side
The best news of the week is that the false albacore survived. Ian saw them from shore this morning while surfcasting and again while on the phone with us taping his report, including three decent feeds. He had committed to shore fishing this morning, so he did not have the kayak with him, but he did get a shot at them.
The bait is the reason they are sticking around: Ian described a tremendous amount of it, juvenile rain bait, and said it was spraying out of the water ahead of the Albie Snax he was throwing.
Ian's read is that the fish would likely have been pushed out had the same storm arrived at the end of October, but with the bait still in the area, the fish are comfortable. He also pointed out that the pressure was heavier before the storm. With the motorboats expected to get back out over the next couple of days, he thinks right now anglers may actually have better shots at the albies currently feeding.
Looking ahead, the plan is simple. The wind has already shifted to the south and it is mild, only light and variable. The full moon passed on Saturday, and the weather looks nicer for the next week to ten days. Ian saw a lot of birds working within kayakable distance of shore the day before, and he was heading out to scope them the rest of the week. He expects the post-storm conditions to spark a nice little bite.
Big Striped Bass Inside Cape Cod Bay
While the funny fish are the headline on the south side, the striped bass story this week is inside Cape Cod Bay. Ian said Team Goose was getting monsters during the storm from shore, and he fully expects the bayside to keep turning on. Over the next three weeks he anticipates a nice little temperature drop, which should bring some of those bayside fish in even closer to shore and make the inshore fishing even more accessible.
This is a notable change. Cape Cod Bay has been predominantly a boat bite through the summer and early fall season. The north wind kicked the fish around, pushed them in tight, and made them very accessible to surfcasters. If you want a crack at a good striped bass from shore in the bay, the areas to focus on run from the east end all the way through Sandwich and down toward Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck. For the false albacore and bonito, your best bet is back toward Ian's neck of the woods on the south side.
Ian is planning a mixed bag of his own. He will literally go from Albies in the morning to bass fishing in the afternoon. After a morning where he saw fish but did not hook up, he described the little striped bass topwater action as a good way to replenish the morale, and he still thinks the bay is going to go off.
Lures and Tactics for Striped Bass and False Albacore
Here is a recap of the lures and tactics that came up in the conversation, along with some of the broader lessons from the past couple of weeks.
- False albacore lure color and size: White or glow has been the go-to for Ian for the last two years. From a kayak, downsizing to the half-ounce version was the ticket.
- False albacore leader: When the fish were finicky, Ian dropped down to 12-pound leader with a half-ounce white lure and that turned a struggle into a productive stretch.
- Albie Snax: Ian was throwing an Albie Snax when the small bait was spraying out of the water in front of it, matching the rain bait the fish are keyed in on.
- Big Mag Darters: A big Mag Darter was the plug that cut through the wind and got out into the suds for Ian during the blow.
- Avoid the weed: Stay out of the heavy weed lines in the first hundred yards from shore. If you can see root beer-colored water in the wash, expect gummed-up guides and unnatural-looking presentations.
- Fish the jetties: For shore anglers after false albacore, jetties near inlets and the mouths of harbors increase your odds. Get out as far as you can if you don't have a kayak.
- Put in the time: Ian's advice is that you have to go every day if you really want to give yourself a good shot.
Ian also made the point that shore-based albie fishing is tough, but when you get one from shore it counts for two. This time of year offers crazy options, he recommends packing the bag with versatility in mind. You can head out targeting one species and find another. Go for stripers and you might find gator blues on topwater. You just never know.
What to Expect as October Begins
The picture heading into the heart of the fall run is an encouraging one. The storm moved fish around without sending the funny fish packing, the bait is plentiful on the south side, and the striped bass are pushed in tight to the beaches inside Cape Cod Bay. With mild southerly winds in the forecast and the moon behind us, conditions are lining up for a productive week or two.
If you are planning a trip, think in terms of two zones. For a shot at a quality stripers from the beach, focus on the stretch from the east end through Sandwich and down toward Barnstable Harbor and Sandy Neck. For false albacore and bonito, head to the south side beaches, look for birds working bait, and consider the jetties near inlets and harbor mouths solid options. We will have plenty more reports throughout the month of October as the fishery continues to take shape during our fall run!
Tight Lines & Take Care!