Some observations after six early season fishing trips to the Cape:

1) There are TONS of tiny, tiny bass around this year. I've caught more fish under 18 inches in my first six trips fishing this year than I've caught in the rest of my life combined. Has anyone else noticed this? Bodes well for the future.

2) Bluefish are early this year, plentiful & big. Got over a dozen of them in an hour and a half last week, all skinny but all at least 30 inches...2-3 over 35 inches.

3) Amongst all those blues and rats there are a decent number of keeper bass in the 28 to 35 inch range. I' think I've landed eight keeper bass to this point in six trips.

For early season fishing, all on plugs, it's been pretty good for me. I'm optimistic at this point.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the early season fishing?

That's a really encouraging post, Blitz. I'm a sweetwater striper hunter who'll be on the Cape for the first time June 17-24. I'm bringing an 11/2 conventional and a bag of plugs/jigs. Any chance you could tip me to a few places I might try first? For what it's worth, I regularly fish some pretty hairy water below big-river dams, so I'm definitely interested in the Ditch, just don't know where to start. I did find a good Ditch map online the other day, so if you could tip me to some good spots there, that would really help.

Thanks!

I've definitely had a great spring so far. Blitz, I second the small fish observation. In my cape trips from mid-April to mid-May, I caught tons of very small fish, many I don't believe are migrating due to their very small size.

And in my fishing locally over the past month here in Boston Harbor, I've seen a tremendous improvement from last year. Now, a big part of that for me is increased access and range with an improved boat situation, however, I've already caught more fish from the shore here in the harbor, than I did all of last year... so I've been very encouraged as well.

And I've caught and seen (followers) alot of very nice size school bass, with 8 keepers so far and dozens of 26-27" fish.

I haven't targeted big fish yet, which I do at a couple of spots on the south shore from the surf, and I haven't tried the mackerel thing yet, mostly due to wind and weather.

But I'm very encouraged by the numbers of fish I've seen so far this year.

Kentucky Fisherman- I wouldn't dream of giving you info on Ditch fishing will all the experts around on this board. I've only fished there 3-4 times with limited results. I'm more of a beach guy, with most of my time spent fishing South Cape beach, Chatham, Truro and P'town. These places are no secret, but how to do well there is ;) .

Schoolie- Glad to hear you're doing well out of the gate. I have not specifically targeted big fish yet either, but that is the plan from here on in. The group of guys I fish with have had good success so far as well (including some large over 30 lbs), so I'm very optimistic about setting my new personal best this year.

Hopefully I won't live to regret posting that last line. :rolleyes:

Blitz - good luck out there this year...

Schoolie - when are we (the families) going out to your new occasional vacation home :D . Out where Blitz finds Blitzes :D ... If we can schedule it on my one "non-fishing weekend" a month, then I can fish it with ya because it is a pure family weekend :p ...
Hehehehe...

Seriously, when we going fishing, uhh, I mean spending Q.T. with the families on the Cape?

Hey John, sorry to hear the fishing was slow for the RI leg#1, but it sounds like the cookout was a success as per usual. I browsed the thread and everyone seemed to have a good time. Tought to beat that.

Myself, I'm just completely wiped. 5am wake-up sat, red line, green line, blue line, shuttle bus, plane, train, hour car ride, get ready, hour car ride, wedding, reception, hour car ride, sleep at 2am... wake up, pack, hour car ride, train, plane, shuttle bus, blue line, green line, red line. All with kid in tow... Very poor planning, though the "adult only reception" which we found out about very recently contributed most to the fiasco. Between lack of sleep and the general stress of travel, I'm just beat.

To top it off, as we were taxi-ing out sat morning, I see birds working right off the airport... :af:

Its over... and I have short week as I'll be off thurs-fri to fish with my dad.

The cape? That's a good question. This weekend my dad's up, next weekend is Karen's "girls" weekend with a few of her girlfriends coming in... whoooo-hoooo. The weekend of the 4th is out 'cause you couldn't pay me to head down there for that mess and the weekend after that is the Mass Leg#1... right? So, it will have to be after that. Honestly, we haven't looked that far ahead yet. Unless, doing it the weekend of the Mass leg would work... I don't know, like I said, we need to get thru the next several weeks.

Oh yah, and I guess I need to check on when the place will be available. Maybe that would be a good starting point. It would figure that the perfect weekend for us was your anniversary.

Alright, we'll pick this up later... in the meantime, did I see that the MSBA boat tourny is the weekend of the 22nd (girls weekend and I promised to watch Britta so Karen and her friends can do whatever)... I'm po'd, but may still try and scam some on-water time... you planning to try and fish?

Two things, I talked to the wife and she seemed to think that the 7/13 might be good too. We would be fairly close, the families could come to the cook-out, then we could fish. Something to consider.

And was that the MSBA tourny that we fished last year out of my aluminum? That was in june so when i saw the dates around the 23rd, I thought they meant June and I was going to miss it... cool.

Greg - that's the right tourney... It got moved to August this year. Guess I won't fish WICC...


BTW - I wasn't hammerin' ya too much to go :p ... But seriously, if that's a weekend you all could do, I think I could clear it with Gwen - she'd like that :D ... I think the'd all like that :D

#1 the new moon in jmay was pissa. started out on slobs......
#2 the new moon in june stinks.. should Be a week later i think
the ne winds have been screwing with the spring to summer patturn thats to be falling in to place..
You have to do Your home work and Be able to read the suds..
and come up with a game plan...........
wierd 60 to 70 fish day friday
down to a few sat.....
to 4 on a pike to maybe 20 lbs
to plastic and tin heaving over big water.....
and pl#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g a bass here and there and them freakin heads with teeth:smash:
then it was to candy land. Slip Ya havnt seen the grail of Bass its out back and way to the left......
The wind has the bass screwed up....
alot of plug playing and pro tricks to get them to chow.......
Had a spot I was getting bass up to #30lbs
shut down opn Me sat night for the first time...
then sunday it shifted sw on the first 2 incoming as the sun puked.
BINGO!
You want to go down cape to the province lands and fish. Ya better know Ya NE spots and hope there clean....
Now I feel that the building of the first quarter will Put out good.
If the winds stay down or stay SW.........
Bunker on the suds big bass, go back next day nothing.
cept a 30"schoolie. Barf.......
But let Me tell You when it happens and You got Your arse wird right. Hammer time.........
Like to night.
Oh by the way on the first day on a NE blow, the bass will feed most the time...
But it will take a prodominant sw wind for 3 to 5 days in the province lands foe the bass to HOLD!
we are in transition, the Bass where a week early, But that is behind us.......
You guys going to the hunk better dring wood that stays on top...
Might be killer, well it should Be killler at sun down.....
Pissa tides all week for what I do..........
Im takin time off this week and May fish wed night.....
and possibly sat night...........
This is an honest evaluation from a hard core fisherman from the Cape............
Dave>)))'>
P.S. Im gonna slay them the 3rd day.........

:smash: Slip you care to translate? No hunk for BM? :(

specialist, it's killin BM not to go to the hunk, he's filling his cookie jar, I think it was way below empty.

ya its killin me.............:smash:
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CRAP!!!!!!!!!

I am sad, and sorry you can't go :(