The weather is cool but the fishing is not—at least for the diehard anglers from MFCC.
It's been a good fall, with some above-average temperatures sandwiched between strong winds that can make getting out fishing a real challenge.
But with colder weather on our doorstep, MFCC members are quickening their transitions, from chasing tuna, false albacore, bonito, and stripers to tautog, largemouth bass, and trout.
Fall Surfcasting Summary
We start in the surf, where anglers have done their best over the last few weeks to hold onto the fall run, even though the majority of stripers seem to have moved south to New Jersey.
In the MFCC Surfcasters Thread - Fall 2025, Calvin Toran-Sandlin continues chasing stripers, having recent success on November 11th, landing a healthy bass in the pitch dark.
Calvin Toran-Sandlin posted this catch to the Surfcasters' Thread on November 11th.
Back on Halloween Eve, Robbie Sturtevant reports success on what he believes will be his last outing in the surf in 2025, noting how good it felt to bend the rod. Robbie says that stripers were pinned up to the rocks and swiping at his paddle tail offering right where he would usually lift it out of the water and recast.
As many others have reported in the forum, Robbie mentioned it was a difficult summer full of more skunks than not, making his final trip in the surf even more rewarding. Robbie is one of those dedicated MFCC anglers who don't put their saltwater rods away for the winter. He will soon be switching tactics to targeting holdover stripers.
Robbie Sturtevant and Mason Wasserman proudly display two solid stripers they posted to the forum on October 31. Using paddle tails to entice stripers that were pinned up to the rocks, Robbie reports the fish hit just as he would normally lift the lure out of the water.
Continuing a fall run that saw him posting images of striper after striper requiring two hands to hold, Jeff Cotto reported good results fishing near the canal on the incoming tide on November 2nd. Jeff had success using a paddle tail, noting another angler near him caught a few stripers using bucktails.
Displaying another solid striper in a season to remember, Jeff Cotto enticed this fish to hit a paddle tail.
Fishing from shore in Cotuit on November 8th, Dean Wong reports a few follows but no takers on a bone Game On X-Walker. Dean reported quite a bit of small bait pushed tight to the shore, so while the water temperature continues to drop, he isn't putting his gear away just yet.
Tautog Action Heating Up
In the Tautog Fall 2025 thread, your fellow MFCC members have been reporting a great late-season bite, with cold weather now pushing keeper-sized fish to deeper water in many places.
Back on October 27th, Logan Bird reported catching a two-man limit of tautog and a couple of sea bass, noting the fishing was still good around Hyannis.
On November 2nd, Leslie Kalinowski reported a great day on the water, limiting out while fishing with her brother and brother-in-law. Leslie caught the biggest tautog of the day, at more than 20".
Always good to fish with family, Leslie Kalinowski enjoyed her time on the water with her brother and brother-in-law.
Not only did they enjoy each other’s company, but they also limited out on the good tasting tautog.
Also on November 2nd, Eddy Kooyomjian Jr. reported that the tautog bite was strong west of Cleveland Light, finding fish in 15-20' of water. Despite high winds which made anchoring a challenge, Cousin Eddy and his brother Mark caught tog in the 18-21" size range.
Special congrats to Jim Theodorou who caught a new personal best tautog at 23" on October 26th—thanks to captain Jason Colby putting him in the right spot!
Jim Theodorou displays his new personal best 23” tautog he recently caught thanks to Jason Colby putting him in the right spot.
A frequent poster in the Tautog thread, Captain Jason Colby of Little Sisters Charters has consistently put his customers on fish this fall. Captain Colby reports that anglers onboard his charters have been frequently limiting out with fish up to 24".
In a forum post from November 10th, Captain Colby reported that the fish off Westport were moving to deeper, warmer water in 55-65 feet. He also reminds anglers of the importance of seeking out new rock piles that tautog might be holed up in, as he recently located a spot closer to port that provided quality fish for his fares.
Jason Colby posted this photo of a client with one of many nice tautog caught outside Westport on his November 10th trip.
Catching Green Crabs for Tog
For those who want to target tautog, Ryan Collins says catching green crabs for bait in Ketcham green crab traps and minnow traps (with the openings widened a bit) work well.
With a trap full of green crabs after a short time in the water, Ryan Collins is ready to target tautog.
Responding to a question in the Catching green crabs thread about how many green crabs to take on a tautog outing, Jim Theodorou recommends at least 25. Jim normally goes out with at least half of a five-gallon bucket full of green crabs for two to three people fishing.
As Jim points out, tautog are expert bait stealers, and if you are catching shorts you'll go through crabs even faster. Cutting them in half and using each side helps them last a bit longer.
Adding to the conversation, Thomas Sangermano recommends keeping trapped crabs cool and dry in a bucket. In the fall they should survive for two weeks in the garage and longer in a refrigerator. If you have access to salt water, they last even longer if you put them in a canvas or open weave bag in the water, according to Tom.
Oyster Season Opens
Cold weather isn't all bad news as seen in the Oyster Season is Opening on the Cape thread. Ken Holt reported a great outing on November 8th, getting 70 mouth-watering oysters!
With oyster season open in many Cape towns, Ken Holt shows some of the mouth-watering mollusks he got on a recent outing.
Check with your local town to learn when and where you may be able to get some of these tasty treats for yourself.
Freshwater Fishing
On the freshwater side, a hot, sunny summer combined with low water levels means that water in the Cape's kettle ponds is staying warmer later in the season.
In the Freshwater Bass 2025 thread, Kevin Johndrow caught a five-pound lunker on November 10th. Kevin caught the chunky bass - a personal best - using a small swim jig cast into isolated patches of fallen timber.
Kevin Johndrow proudly displays his personal best five pound largemouth bass he recently caught on a small swim jig. Like many Cape anglers, Kevin targets both fresh and saltwater bass.
Taking a break from chasing stripers, on November 4th Jeff Boswell successfully fished a local trout pond a little before sunset and picked up two healthy rainbows on a Thomas Buoyant, a lure that was patented way back in 1946.
In the Trout Time 2025 thread, Jeff reports that many trout were rising to the surface but they were picky.
On November 4th, Jeff Boswell caught this beautiful rainbow trout on a Thomas Buoyant on a short, but quite successful trip to a local kettle pond.
In the Salmon River Trip thread, William Felegi reports going to upstate New York for some steelhead trout fishing. On November 7th he landed a good-sized salmon. William reports much smaller crowds than during the salmon run in October.
William Felegi displays the salmon he caught on the first day of a fishing trip to upstate New York.
On November 8th, Michael Elwood made a post about good fishing at the Douglaston Salmon Run on the Salmon River. Michael says salmon egg patterns in various colors are most commonly used, whether you're using a center pin, spinning, or fly reel.
Michael Elwood is all smiles as he displays a salmon caught at the Douglaston Salmon Run on the Salmon River.
Upcoming Events
In the Women Anglers Talk Fishing thread, Gretchen Stiers posted about The Cape Cod Salties Sportfishing Club first annual "Women's 101 Saltwater Fishing Workshop" on January 31, 2026. The workshop is open to women ages 18 and older and is limited to the first 30 women to register.
Final Thoughts
While many anglers have put their gear away for the year, keep an eye out for some weather good enough to wet a line. There's nothing better than ending the season with that one extra outing that provides great memories throughout the winter. Catch 'em up!
Tight lines 🎣
Dan Nahorney
MFCC Forum
Connecting Anglers
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Dan, great write up. Let’s hope everyone can find few more before hanging it up