Local NPR for the Cape, Coast & Islands 90.1 91.1 94.3
The Fishing News
00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abb0000 with Steve JunkerEach week during saltwater fishing season Steve Junker checks in with the folks at On the Water magazine and others to find out who's catching what where around the Cape and Islands—and how they're doing it. 00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abc0000For a detailed weekly Fishing Forecast, check out On the Water.00000177-ba84-d5f4-a5ff-bbfc9abb0001

Striped Bass, Squid Arriving As Cape Cod Waters Slowly Warm

Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio

If you haven't cleaned up your tackle yet for the season, it's time to get busy: schoolies are here, and bigger fish are on the way.
Jeremy Jenum / flickr

February 25, 2015 - less than 3 months ago - 18 square miles of ice filled Cape Cod Bay.

Whew.

It's no surprise that striped bass may be a little slow this year returning to Cape Cod waters, which were colder than usual through April, and are slowly warming. 

Reports of schoolies are now widespread around the region, even into Cape Cod Bay. According to On The Water magazine, bigger stripers (30+ inches) are away to the south along the Rhode Island coast, while the real big fish are still in their spawning areas around the Chesapeake Bay. But the migration is on, and they should begin making their way north soon.

For striped bass anglers, the big story this year is the change in the bag limit.  The day limit is now one fish at 28 inches - that's down from the previous limit of two fish at 28 inches.  This is to allow the stocks to regain strength, while waiting for the maturing year class that is expected to help rebound the stock numbers.

Squid have been reported in numbers, with the boat fishing being particularly good.  That means, even if you're not an angler, it's a nice moment to visit your fish market for fresh caught local squid.

Steve Junker and Kevin Blinkoff discuss the weekly fishing action on WCAI. Audio is posted above - give it a listen.  

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Steve is Managing Editor of News. He came to WCAI in 2007. He also hosts the weekly News Roundup on Friday mornings and produces The Fishing News.
  1. Wool socks and watch caps: fall weather fishing is here
  2. Mahi-mahi are being caught around Cape Cod, and fishers are happy
  3. After the storm, the 'fall run'
  4. Gather 'round the weighing station: MV Derby celebrates 78 years
  5. 'Sweet toad': puffers not just a novelty, they make good eating