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(30:54):
Well up next on this week's edition of the My Fishing Cape Cod podcast is our great buddy Sam Mullen from down at the Goose Hummock in Orleans, mass. Sam, how are you today?

(31:03):
I'm doing great, Kev. The weather's pretty chilly. It's getting a little cooler now. It's definitely starting to feel like fall weather. It's kicking in.

(31:10):
Yeah, we're now smack dab in the middle to approaching probably the late half of the fall run, Sam. So let's start with Stripe Bass. I know you've had a chance to get out in the bay a little bit. It looks like the wind's supposed to stay here from the north today on Friday and through the weekend, which will make the bay a little bit bumpy. But how's the striper fishing been inside the bay?

(31:30):
Yeah, there's been a good amount of little small bait. It's definitely like the fall run kick around with juvenile herring still flowing over the flats and just get on those big outgoing tides. Walking the flats is decent to start the day and even better towards the end of the day, fish aren't huge. 22 to 26 is the occasional keeper and then up until about the 32 inch range, but unlike here, it's wicked fun and we got some north wind coming around, so that might change around a little bit. But for the most part, the flats have been definitely good. Just walking out is a lot better than trying to fish during the high tides for striper. And then obviously this time of year into later this year all the way through November, the harbors are wicked fun at night fishing for stripers, using some really light freshwater gear. It's absolutely fantastic. So that's a lot of fun using drought gear to catch 2224 inch stripers is wicked fun.

(32:28):
Sam, I know you're very much a student of the fishery as well, and let's talk about that north wind just a little bit here. It's really kind of picked up today on Friday and it seems like it's going to be this way over the next several days, maybe even through Monday, Tuesday, and it's supposed to blow 20 to 30 knots at some points. Do you think that's going to push even more bay, especially if we get a northeast kind of further down into the bay toward the canal down your neck of the woods?

(32:56):
Yeah, yeah. I really feel like if there does have a good consistent north to northeast, I feel like you could even work your way. Barnesville Harbor has been holding a lot of fish, which is great and they've been some slot fish in there, but work your way over to Sandy neck and west and keep working your way out to Spring Hill and SS sport and then the east end of the canal could be pretty good. The timing of the tides and everything in the morning, it could be a good part of that catch that fall run where there's fish pushing from the north. That would be a pretty good bet for the weekend.

(33:33):
Well that certainly sounds like a promising report and definitely folks that are heading out this weekend with that northeast wind in mind, you're definitely going to want to keep in mind your spots and not get beat up Too bad I would think.

(33:47):
Yeah, absolutely. Just be mindful of the weather, but it is just decently blowing. Ain't no hurricane, but it's still going to be some 30 mile an hour winds, so that always creates a really good bite. So just be careful on the jetties though. Definitely have the felt or the corker studded boots.

(34:05):
And how about Alby Sam? I know that's another thing that we've really talked about over the last month. Are they still kicking around despite this wind?

(34:12):
Yeah, they are still kicking around, which the coolest part about them has been kicking really around the bay and also with bonito up into the P town and churro areas down into the path off of Wellfleet. But it is starting to dwindle as these temperatures really start to kick. I bet after this northeast wind they'll be completely flushed out and there'll be more towards around the vineyard and Falmouth in that area, but a little bit off of Monomoy and there's still some Al's off of Monomoy foreshore, which is great and that'd be your best target to really target them with be off of. If you don't find 'em, you can still find some stripers and some blue fish and do that kind of thing. And then maybe some even potential fluke don't do that.

(34:56):
In terms of funny fish as well, what are you hearing about bonito?

(34:59):
Yeah, bonito has been definitely in the bay and like I said around the northeast wind, they might move around a little bit in the bay. I feel like they'll stick around a little more than the alves depending on how much bait there is and everything. And you can find 'em around monomoy, but I really feel like they're going to really start to after this blow. It'll pretty be really pretty much quiet by now.

(35:24):
And switching gears a little bit, going deeper down in the water column, Sam, I know Toto is another species near and dear to your heart. It's a great eating fish and they fight like hell. I think that the limit we've discussed here on the podcast is going to shift coming up after October 15th. It'll go from three fish to five fish. So even more an incentive to try your hand at that I think.

(35:47):
Yeah, absolutely. This is your prime time to really switch over and go down and go back down to ground fishing, switch your gears and really try to get some food for the freezer and the fridge and just have a nice plate full of tog is unbelievable. And there's been some really great sizes. I've been hearing numbers of 10 to 12 pounder in the bay. Just find really good rock structure. If you have a trolling motor on your bow, good for you. God bless you. That's the best you can do. But if you anchor, just be safe and everything around that around the rock pile. But that's really where you want to be is just trying to find that rock structure. And then obviously the breakwater up P town's a great spot. But yeah, this is definitely when you want to kind go away from the stripers and all that kind of stuff. That's more the summer unless you're fishing some creeks. But your boat, when you're in your boat right now, this is when you really want to capitalize on tog fishing.

(36:42):
And when you talk about it from the boat, you talked about the trolling motor a little bit and trying to find structure. Sam, any other tips for folks that may not be too familiar with tog but want to give it a shot here to try something different as Abby's wind down and stripers kind of peter out as well in a couple of weeks?

(37:00):
Yeah, absolutely. When you're anchoring too, you can anchor or also if you're going to drift, you can run two drift socks and really slow, slow down that drift. If it's a nice day, you can get away with that and actually you can throw over a bait bag with some dead green crabs and drop it down to the bottom and that can also slow down your drift and also use it as a chum bag, which is a great technique to be able to get these to into the boat.

(37:27):
And in addition to the green crab, we know the tog love the green crab any specific way you rig those guys. I know a lot of folks will cut 'em in half, some guys will remove the shell or remove the legs, throw them overboard and use 'em as chum. Any particular method or jig that works well for you?

(37:43):
Yeah, I really love to use just about, depending on the water, if I'm fishing 25 feet or below, usually a three quarter to one ounce tog jig either by Joe bags or by tsunami tog treats, you can cut 'em in half. And then I sometimes leave the legs on and I just thread it through the legs so it can actually stay hold, it can actually hold because these tog really like to just kind of nibble away or you can just cut it right in half, cut the legs off and then as you're cutting, swipe it over the gunnel and make that a nice chump slick for these tog to come in and react to your baits. And then, or you can also use a high low rig with a bank sinker. If you're fishing more that 40 to 50 foot range, you can double up on the high low rig and use a bait holder hook, but size six o and you just put some crabs on there and you can just simply have a dropper loop on the bottom and either change it out from two to three to four ounce bank sinkers so you can hold bottom really well.

(38:46):
Now I also know one of the things I wanted to check in with you going a little bit larger scale here is the offshore bite. I haven't heard much productive at all, especially from a recreational standpoint. I know there's a lot of guys this time of year that love to get one last school bluefin or fish for the freezer. Just seems to be a little bit quiet right now, Sam.

(39:08):
Yeah, it is definitely quiet. Its definitely kind of dwindling and especially after this wind. I mean I really don't know what it'll be like at all, but there's got some guys casting a little bit here and there, but more in the golf ball area and ETT Hill is definitely your best bet. Launch in and out T east of Chatham is just too sporadic and you can not get lost per se, but just kind of find some random birds and that kind of stuff and then the crab ledge. But I feel like the best bet you would be able to get is around peak and hill to the golf ball.

(39:45):
Well that's great to hear too. And anything else we've touched on so many things. Anything else that comes to your mind in terms of the fall run you think people should know about?

(39:56):
Yeah, if you ever like using Bucktails, this is the best time of year to use them out on the backside beaches and the bay during a big wind. If the water's nice and clean a bucktail is, if you haven't added that to your arsenal, that is the key to pick out some bigger stripers in the school. Getting it down to the bottom. I know catching is smaller fish on top, it's still fun, but if you want to try to pick out and get that keeper, that one to one and a half, the up to two ounce and just rip splitter bucktails are fantastic. That's something you always want in your fall bag.

(40:39):
And in terms of the fall striper fishery, Sam, it's one thing I ask you every year we're getting to the end of our podcast season. We've only got a week or two left and we'll be through October before you know it, do you think these fish will stick around into November this year?

(40:54):
I think so. And looking at the projected water temps and everything and the temperatures that are coming up, it still looks like they'd be manageable. And then still definitely around your mouse of your creeks and then going into the winter, they're still always here, so if you go way up into some deeper estuaries and everything like that, but there'll still be a pretty good fall run. I really feel like it'll be alies and panto will be shuffling, but those spas and maybe even some blue fish will be sticking around till November for sure.

(41:24):
All right, Sam, thanks so much for joining us on this edition of the podcast and I hope we get to catch up one more time before the season ends.

(41:31):
Sounds great, Kev. Have a great weekend.