Tim Donnelly - MFCC Member

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” - Rogers Hornsby, Baseball Hall of Fame

Back in the mid 90’s I moved from Boston to Los Angeles for my career. I really enjoyed my time out there and I can testify the weather was really as nice as they say. However, this born and raised Central New York kid came to miss the change that comes with the seasons. For me there is something inspiring about the emergence of spring from the icy hands of winter. There is also something about the anticipation before the eventual change. That is what makes it special to me, the wait and then the fulfillment.

As anglers on the Cape, spring is particularly dear to us. Fresh trout have been stocked in our favorite kettle ponds. Tautog have made their way closer to shore and are being caught with regularity. Blackbacks and haddock will fill the coolers of those willing to brave the cold conditions. Soon black sea bass season will open and of course, our beloved striper has returned from its winter haunts, ready to feed with abandon after its journey to the spawning grounds. I think all of us share Horsnby’s sentiment, though it's not baseball we long for!

Let’s dig in and see what’s been going on in the My Fishing Cape Cod Forum, highlight some impressive catches, and get motivated for the days (and nights) ahead! You can scroll down to continue reading or jump to a specific section by clicking on the table of contents below.👇

Shad Fishing

Like the blossoms on forsythia, the arrival of squid and shad mark some of the early saltwater fishing available to us. Unlike the other marker (dandelions which mark the arrival of tautog) the squid and shad will leave us after a short window of opportunity.

While the best shad fishing in New England is on the CT river, we have the second best not far from Cape Cod in the Merrimack River. These fish fight way outside their weight class and are highly regarded, nicknamed "the poor man's tarpon".

Shad are commonly caught on flutter spoons and light spin casting gear. My Fishing Cape Cod member Johan Frenje recently showed us in the forum the traditional shad flutter spoons, as well as some flies he adapted for shad fly fishing.

Shad have a broad flat body, which they use to turn into the current, creating tremendous pull for their size. It is a memorable fight on a fly rod, leading many anglers to an obsession with these hard charging fish.

Squid Fishing

Nothing brings out the fleet like a nice weekend during the spring squid spawning run. This year the start of the bite coincided with a beautiful warm Sunday. When I was out there, roughly 50 boats were parked around Colliers Ledge off Hyannis, filling their buckets with loligo, commonly called longfin squid.

Thankfully, this type of fishing is not "run and gun", like what I often see when fishing for albies. Everyone was either anchored or using a slow drift. The best of the springtime squid bite has now ended, but hopefully these pictures will inspire you to give it a try next year!

Trout

The MA Department of Fisheries and Wildlife have been stocking our waters with trout since early March. While their work continues further west, our supply has been in the water for at least a couple weeks. This means they have been forced to engage with their natural instincts, foraging for food instead of looking for pellets.

Upcoming warm weather will quickly increase the water temps of the Cape's kettle ponds, forcing the trout into cooler and deeper sections of the ponds. Catch them now while you can!

Largemouth Bass

Trout has always been a popular fish on the MFCC Forum, but other freshwater varieties have also been generating some activity. Thanks to the inspiring posts of first year member Matt Dixon, many anglers from My Fishing Cape Cod have felt inspired to start catching and sharing photos of bucket mouths.

The warmer water temps may be bad for close to shore trout fishing, but it gets the largemouth bass bite moving. The fish are in pre-spawn mode and are roaming around looking for prey, particularly at night in the shallows. 

Tautog

While blackfish have a set of chompers that would give an orthodontist nightmares, this hard fighting fish is well equipped for its favorite foods: mollusks and crustaceans. This diet makes tog a great table fish, and they can be readily caught on green crabs.

Striped Bass

Stripers are making their way up the coast and are being caught on both sides of the Cape. Buzzards Bay is where the majority of larger fish have initially settled in. However, people are also catching bigger fish further east towards the mid Cape. The action has varied from non-existent to non-stop.

Alex Cadete always seems to be pulling good fish and this spring has been no exception. GPS coordinates are included in the Platinum Membership package (just kidding!). 

From the boat, kayak or shore, solid fish are getting landed during the day. Carl Leito and camera man Mike Marcus were absolutely crushing it several days ago, pulling slot after slot on a daytime bite in the mid Cape area. Further west in Buzzards Bay, Jon Brooks was pulling solid rockfish from his boat.

With prevailing winds from the SW and warm weather on the horizon, the striper fishing should only get better. The 40"+ fish that have made their way in Buzzards Bay will be continuing on their migration, sprinkling across the Cape and further north.

Kayak Fishing

Even though the water is cold and you need to take appropriate precautions (like wearing a drysuit and PFD) members are venturing out on their kayaks to hunt for all sorts of fishables. A few members were even out with the fleet at Colliers Ledge the first Sunday that the squid bite turned on.

Schoolies can be ferocious eaters when they are on are bait, staying active all day when the water is cool. Anthony Besaw stayed with the bite from 9 to 5. I'm sure Dolly Parton wouldn't sing about that being work! I feel a little empathy, but mostly jealously when I see that tender bass thumb.

Val Pinkhasov and Chris Kline photograph their catches while also demonstrating safe early season kayaking, donning dry suits in case they took an unexpected plunge.

In Conclusion

It’s a challenge for me to even write this article because what I really want to do right now is fish! But I also know to be a better angler I need to continue to learn, and one of the best ways I have found to hone my skills is to read and analyze other’s successes.

The generosity of our fellow members is impressive and there is no better venue to learn than the MFCC Forum. It’s like a Magic 8 Ball, but with real answers!

In closing, this is a great time for all of us to brush up on our striper catch and release skills. Recreational anglers put significant pressure on these finite resources, even when our intention is to let our catch swim another day. We can’t individually solve the problem of overfishing of the stock, but we can all do our part.

Be safe out there and tight lines!

Tim