This post was originally published in November of 2015
Kettle ponds are one of the great natural treasures of Cape Cod.
With so many cold, clear, pristine habitats—all within a reasonable travel distance from each other—quality trout fishing possibilities are plentiful on the Cape.
Among the lakes and ponds that receive seasonal stockings, there are but a select few that stand above the rest. Need proof?
Just check the annual Massachusetts Sportfishing Awards and you’ll see the same premier coldwater fisheries listed year after year. Among these, in no particular order, are my top 4 trout waters on Cape Cod.
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I typically hit Nickerson once a year in in October and fish Cliff and flax ponds, with some success. My question is: what ramp or beach do they typically stock from on those ponds. ?
I never fished sheep pond but, I’ll have to try it out next fall ( or spring!).
Trout fishing has been slow in central mass this year! Oh well… still fun!
Hi, John. Been up to the Salmon River this winter? The steelhead fishing is a bit tough this year, so if you haven’t been, you probably aren’t missing much.
How’s the fishin in the Brewster area ponds in late May? And in early/mid September? My wife and I will be making our 2 annual week long treks to N. Truro again this year, and I might enjoy a day of wading for trout when the striper fishing is slow. (Which is most of my days of striper fishing, landlubber that I am)
I love the ramp at sheeps pond. I can fly fish with out putting my waders on!
Nice John, thank you.
Will the trout in the above ponds run close to the shoreline during January/February or will they be holding deep?
I am thinking of walking and casting the shoreline if the ponds don’t freeze over.
John D. Silva
November 19, 2015, 1:13 pm edit
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for your question…
When wading and casting in Cape Cod Kettle Ponds, often the question isn’t so much about “deep or shallow”, it’s will the fish be active or sluggish? Will they hug bottom or be suspended or feeding near the surface?
A lot depends on the conditions, specifically water temperature. I broach this subject in Part-2 (Trout Techniques), but as a rule of thumb I will typically cast spinners and wade during the milder months in spring and fall. (During fall: Oct, Nov, and maybe into the first week of Dec if it’s mild). After that, with the dropping water temperature, the fish begin to get real sluggish and they won’t move far (or quickly) to attack a lure. So that’s when I switch over to bait fishing.
As the temperature drops, trout start looking for easier meals in order to preserve energy. This doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish on lures, if you are persistent, but I just prefer to go with the best potential for success, since I tend to be a bit impatient when I’m wading cahones’ deep in frigid winter ice-water.
The rest really depends on what the weather is like in Jan-Feb, (personally I hope we’re ice fishing by then). If we have a mild “el nino” winter, with open water on the Cape all winter long, then the chances are greater that you’ll have trout holding and moving both deep and shallow, depending on the weather and conditions.
In short, if you are the very, very patient type and impervious to cold, numb knees, then enjoy. Best bet is to work those lures verrrrry slow. I think patiently working a small sinking Rapala might be your best bet, or perhaps a small Super Duper, (you have to retrieve most spoons and spinners a little quicker to produce action or keep the blade going, so your “finesse” options are limited). If it was me and I wanted to “explore” and cover some shoreline, and lures were not producing, I might try casting small shiners and dragging them slowwwwwly along the bottom.
There’s so much more to it, more variables that make bait fishing or lure fishing more or less effective on any given day, but I think in a nutshell that covers it.
Stay warm.
JD.