The Fishing News

As September wraps up, so too does another season of the Fishing News. But for many local anglers, this moment brings the hope of one more wave of great fishing: the Fall Run.

Last week the state Division of Marine Fisheries announced it would be expanding the commercial striped bass season for the remainder of the fishing year. It's a decision that's provoked a lot of conversation within the recreational and commercial fishing communities.

They're speedy fish with good eyesight, and they're terribly picky. False albacore are back, to the delight of many local anglers. With their blitz-and-disappear behavior, they have fishermen on edge, waiting for the next eruption.

An unusual catch sparked interest this week: juvenile bonito were being taken in numbers at a few spots on Cape Cod Bay east of the Canal. We talk about it in this week's Fishing News, and look at the seasonal change that means good opportunities for shore fishermen.  

Just one month ago, a lot of local fishermen were scratching their heads and wondering where the bluefish were. We had gone deep into the season without seeing these voracious fish in any numbers. Well, guess what. If you're heading out this weekend, you may be lucky if you don't run into bluefish. Now they seem to be everywhere. 

There are a few fish that appear in Cape Cod waters that will, by a mere mention, get fishermen jabbering with enthusiasm. Bonito certainly fall into that class. They're easy to talk about and hard to catch. And delicious to eat.

Normally, this is prime time for bluefin tuna fishing, but so far it's been a bit quiet. There’s an idea that the phenomenal bluefin action happening this year off northern New Jersey may be related—that those fish are the ones we're missing.

Last year king mackerel showed up in our waters, to the surprise of many anglers. Now, it looks like we're seeing them again this year. If you’ve got your sights set on catching a “smoker,” here’s a simple how-to.

"Where are the bluefish?" It's a puzzler. Most years, blues are as plentiful as squirrels on the village green, popping up where they aren't wanted, a nuisance to fishermen targeting more glamorous species like striped bass.

Not this year.

It's seven miles long and offers some of the best shore fishing anywhere. Welcome to the Cape Cod Canal. 

In the last few years, offshore fishermen from the Cape have started to adopt a technique more commonly used in southern waters. It's called deep dropping, and it means fishing more than a quarter-mile deep, using electric reels and as much as eight pounds of sinker weight.

Set aside what you think you know about fly fishing. It doesn't always happen on mountain streams. There's plenty of saltwater fly fishing going on around the Cape, with anglers picking up bluefish and striped bass. 

Lurking along sandy bottoms, ready to pounce on a passing baitfish or tasy morsel, is the summer flounder. Here's what you need to know about this great eating fish—where to search it out, and what kind of rig to use.  Plus, we've got a roundup of the week's fishing action.  

Some days it seems like none of your old standby spots, or lures, or tricks are working. So what then? For fishermen, it's a serious question.

You hear plenty of talk about tides, when people ask about fishing. But just as important—maybe more important—is the effect of current. Particularly in shoaling areas, the flow of current over rapidly shallowing bottom creates turbulence—what fishermen call "rips"—that can be just the spot to find stripers, bluefish, and even fluke.