As water temperatures rise, so does the excitement amongst the MFCC fishing community!
Every day now more members of MFCC are hitting the water and posting some impressive catches to our members' forum.
Today I'm thrilled to showcase a selection of standout catches shared inside the forum over recent days.
Time for Trout
At this time of the year, most members are starting the season off with some catches of trout. And now that many bodies of water have been stocked, or are actively being stocked, many members are cashing in.
On March 13th one of our members, Ken Webber (above), posted photos inside our forum of beautiful brown and rainbow trout he caught while fishing on Cape. Thank you Ken for sharing your catches with us here on MFCC. Keep it up!
"Beer Can" Trout
Sometimes, "old school" is the way to go.
My Fishing Cape Cod member Mike shared some great trout catches with us from this past week in the forum. Despite the cold weather, Mike got an invitation from fellow MFCC member Stan Pypec to head out for a day on the water in Stan's old school "beer can" boat and they weren't disappointed!
Between the two of them they caught 7 rainbow trout.
I love seeing MFCC members get out and enjoy a fishing trip together. Maybe you'll find your next fishing buddy on the forum as well.
The Herring are Running
This one may not be a catch, but nevertheless it's exciting to report on.
This time of year quite a few MFCC members enjoy the fun of watching the herring on their annual spawning migration from the open ocean to Cape Cod's rivers, streams and freshwater ponds.
We got an updated report from Dex Chadsey shared in the Herring Run Watch thread...
"I went to the Middleborough run on Monday, March 4th. The lower part of the ladder was filled with Herring. As you can see in the video, the fish that tried to move into the higher parts of the ladder were often overtaken by the current and swept back. I am thinking that the recent rains made the current too strong for the moment and will hold up their progress for a bit. The deluge we experienced last night will only further this delay.
At Middleborough, the ladder rises from the river then meets a channel which goes under the street, emerging on the other side. At the end of the channel the Herring swim over a white board before they exit the run into the next stage of the river. The white board is used by the volunteer Herring Counters as they can easily see the fish crossing over. I met one as he was in the midst of his 10 minute shift and had an informative conversation… For the previous week the herring had been staged at “Oliver Mill Dam” a spot a bit down the river. The day of my visit was the first that the Herring had appeared at the actual run. According to the Log kept by past Counters, none had yet crossed over the board. The Counter mentioned that the Herring were about a week late, which agreed with my own observation from last year. This is indeed an exciting time of the year."
Thanks for the update, Dex! I've also received word of herring appearing in Mashpee and Orleans.
Start of The Season
In addition to the catches mentioned above, quite a few members have been posting in the forum about trout fishing and fly fishing, as well as fishing west of MA for steelhead.
MFCC member Johan Frenje kicked off 2024 with a fantastic steelhead catch during an unexpected work trip to Western New York. Anticipating the opportunity, he brought his fishing gear, hoping the recent rainfall and warmer weather would enhance the fishing conditions.
Indeed, the water temperatures were in the ideal low to mid-40s, perfect for the spring-run steelhead spawn. Initially trying his luck with swinging streamers, he found no success even after extensive effort and covering a lot of water.
A strategic shift to dead drifting nymphs and egg flies soon paid off. While he lost his first steelhead hookup, perseverance led to the landing of a magnificent male steelhead shortly thereafter, marking a memorable first catch of the season.
Keep reelin' em in, Johan!
All About That Bass
When MFCC member, Mike Dixion went fishing on March 13th, there wasn't much of a pattern the fish were following. Nevertheless that didn't deter him and he ended up pulling in a nice bass before the day was over.
This beauty of a fish was found on the shallow of a windblown point. He caught one on the DS Customs 3-piece swimmer, as shared on our freshwater bass thread.
Here's to a great start to the fishing season, Mike!
In Conclusion
Things will be warming up before we know it and then the season will really start to heat up. I know I have my eye set on April tautog, and I will probably keep trying for a holdover striper or two.
Until then freshwater fishing is where most members will be spending their time.
Tight lines! 
