South Side & South of the Islands Fishing Report with Amy Wrightson of Sports Port

The mid-July fishing scene around Cape Cod is firing on all cylinders, with both inshore and offshore opportunities providing anglers with diverse options for putting fish in the cooler. According to Amy Wrightson from Sports Port in Hyannis, Massachusetts, the recreational bluefin tuna bite has significantly picked up over the last week, while inshore species continue to provide consistent action for anglers of all skill levels.

Inshore Fluke Fishing

One of the most encouraging inshore developments has been the movement of summer flounder (fluke) into more accessible waters. While keeper-sized fluke have been available for the past month in deeper waters around the Nantucket Shoals, recent reports indicate that quality fish are now being caught in just 20-25 feet of water off the south side beaches.

Amy's recent fishing trip with her exemplifies this trend. Fishing outside of Osterville, and Craigville Beach areas in 15-20 feet of water, they successfully targeted fluke using a combination of fluke rigs with gulp baits and bucktail jigs. While they caught several short fish, they managed to boat one keeper – a significant accomplishment given the relatively shallow water they were fishing.

The key to their success was drifting with fluke rigs equipped with gulp baits and bucktail jigs. This technique allows anglers to cover water efficiently while presenting baits in a natural manner that appeals to these bottom-dwelling predators. The fact that similar success is being reported by other Sports Port customers suggests this pattern is consistent.

Shore-based anglers shouldn't overlook fluke opportunities either. While keeper-sized fish from the beach haven't been widely reported, anglers fishing for stripers and blues from various beaches often encounter fluke as bycatch, particularly when dragging lures like Cast Masters along the bottom.

In this report Amy goes into great detail about:

• Fluke in shallow water off the south side of Cape Cod
• Recreational blue fin tuna south of the islands
• Tuna reports and productive trolling and casting methods for recreational blue fin
• Scup and sea bass reports from the south side
• Bluefish becoming more prevalent surfcasting
• The arrival of "gator" bluefish accessible by boat
• Monomoy rip fishing continues to be red hot for striped bass

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