You can see the article here. (http://www.s-t.com/daily/05-03/05-23-03/c01sp104.htm)

Money quote:

"Anglers competing in the annual striper fishing derby at the Cape Cod Canal were faced with clouds and a cool breeze Wednesday morning, along with a shortage of herring and an east-running tide (west is best), but that didn't stop them. The rocks were lined with fishermen, hoping to hook into one of the big striped bass that migrate into the canal this time of year.
The stripers enter the canal during the annual spring herring run in May and gorge on these forage fish. Herring is to stripers what lobster is to humans.

The Cape Canal Region Chamber of Commerce schedules its annual, eight-day, striped-bass tournament, sponsored in part by The Standard-Times, to coincide with the annual run of stripers and herring (also called alewives), affording anglers the best opportunity to land lots of big fish and win cash and prizes. This week marks the 12th annual tournament, which began Saturday and will end at 6 p.m. Sunday, with an award ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at Bourne Scenic Park. "

Fishing report from the Providence Journal:

UPPER BAY

"The upper Bay has been host to some very large schools of silversides," writes Ray Stachelek, skipper of the charter boat Castafly. "Acres of baitfish have been holding from the Ohio Ledge Buoy to Rumstick Point area. The larger dense pods of silversides that remain submerged have held keeper-size bass under them. Surface baitfish tend to attract smaller bass of one to two pounds. . . . Drift fishing with sinking lines and pausing for the boat's drift to catch up with the line produced strikes. Olive Clousers have been the most effective flies."

In a six-hour session early this week, Kevin Brown caught about 80 stripers, all on soft-plastic lures, and six of the bass were between 28 and 32 inches long, he said in an e-mail report. "Standing on my casting decks, I watched stripers come up from the 20- to 30-foot channel depths off Colt State Park to Poppasquash Point all morning and into the afternoon scattering the small bait on the surface." He also reported taking fish on a tube-and-worm rig off Colt State Park.

Large schools of bass appeared along the north side of Greenwich Bay Wednesday, along with increasing numbers of bluefish and squeteague, said Ken Ferrara of Ray's Bait & Tackle. Other hot spots for bass include the waters near Mount Tom Rock and the northern tips of Patience and Prudence Islands, he said. Pat Bonanno has been catching fish on Striper Swipers and Crocodile lures near the islands. The waters off Conimicut Light also have been producing bass, according to George Viau of the Tackle Box.

LOWER BAY

Ferrara said bass as large as 20 pounds apiece have been biting near Hope Island, and the fluke bite is just beginning between Dutch Island and the Jamestown Bridge.

Action on the Sakonnet River is heating up, especially at Fogland Point, according to Corey Pietraszek, a charter boat skipper who guides for The Saltwater Edge. Bass and squeteague have been biting, as well as a few bluefish. "It also sounded like the Sachuest Point area is good to anglers," he said in an e-mail. "#^&#^&#^&#^& Diamond reported getting fish on every cast for about an hour out on the point last week. These fish have been in the 18- to 28-inch range and lots of fun on the 8-weight fly rod."

BEACHES AND SALT PONDS

Fishing with Bob Hines as his guide, Brian Hill of West Hartford, Conn., caught several stripers, including a 34-incher on flies during a worm emergence on Ninigret Pond. "Best patterns were the crystal chenille worm, tied with a long tail of orange bucktail, a body of orange crystal chenille, and a black ostrich hurl head," Hines said in an e-mail. "Capt. Bob's foam tail worm also worked very well. This is tied with a strip of close cell foam extending approximately two inches beyond the hook bend then wrapped over with flame orange glow bug yarn. The head is tied with black ostrich hurl and the foam is clipped in front of the eye of the hook, gurgler style. Both flies are tied on #4 streamer hooks."

The pond is getting crowded, said angler Ed Lombardo, but anglers were catching fish up to 30 inches long Tuesday evening on the wildlife-refuge side.

Though Ninigret Pond offers more shore access for waders, the northern end of Point Judith Pond is a a better bet for anyone with a boat.

Stripers have been hitting lures in Charlestown Breachway during the ebb tide, but angler Mac Hedgpeth says the bite at Quonochontaug Breachway has been slow. Bass are biting inside Quonny Pond, however.

Fluke fishing is improving off Washington County's beaches, according to the captains of the Frances Fleet. "There are no monsters but plenty of limits of fish to 3 pounds with the best just over 4 pounds," they said in an e-mail. "In addition to some great numbers, Sunday's trip saw several fish between 4 and 5 pounds, so the sizes are creeping up, it seems, each trip."

OFFSHORE

Party boat fishermen caught several cod apiece last weekend along with ocean pout, the skippers reported. A series of low-pressure systems, however, could ruin the weekend.

FRESH WATER

Dana Perreault of Barrington caught a 5-pound bass in Pulaski State Park this week. The fish hit a Culprit grape shad worm, according to Beverly Mouradjian of Big Bear Supply. Perreault caught a 6-pounder at the same time last year, using the same lure in the the same spot.

Doug Lees of Pascoag caught a 13-pound, 5-ounce stocked salmon on Carbuncle Pond in Coventry, said Wayne Barber of Wayne's Place in Pascoag. Trout fishing has been excellent on Olney Pond in Lincoln Woods State Park, where Colin Doran of Charlestown landed a 3-pound, 13-ounce rainbow on a nightcrawler.

BEST BITES:

Barrington to Bristol:

Striped bass, possibly bluefish

Greenwich Bay:

Striped bass, bluefish, possibly squeteague

Salt Ponds:

Striped bass, hickory shad

BEST TIMES TO FISH

The moon causes tides and affects the activity of saltwater and freshwater fish as well as animals on land. Anglers generally find the best fishing two hours before and after a high tide, but fish and other animals also become active around the time of low tide.

Read the whole thinghere. (http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/outdoor/benji.htm)

money quote:

"The second oddity seems to be that it sure looks like the sound is warmer than Buzzards Bay. Why do we say that? Because Nantucket Sound has both scup and sea bass, and Buzzards doesn't. That's Weird No. 2. Jeez-um crow, a Cape Codder named Frank Webber even caught a squeteague already - from shore (see Area 4 below). These fish have no bidness being in our waters until it's well beyond pleasant swimming temperatures, which is not how most folks would describe things at the moment.

This is when South Cape Beach, Cotuit-Osterville and Popponesset shine. They are the stars of our show. If you want to be really sure you catch a fish, go to the upper southside beaches, which certainly get the Blue Ribbon Award right now. Your chances are good elsewhere, but for now, as happens early every year, this region is nothing but the best."

From the

Harbor and south

There are flounder in good numbers in the North Channel, reports Pete Santini from the Fishin' FINatic in Everett. The same area is producing cod up to 12 pounds, with striped bass breaking off the mouths of the Pines, Mystic and Charles rivers.

Look for mackerel out by Hypocrite Channel and Egg Rock.

North Shore

The water temperature has finally hit 50 degrees and the fishing has become quite active, Pete Koutrakis reports.

``We've got stripers outside, around the islands, but also up the Danvers River,'' he said.

Try tossing chunk mackerel into the frothy water breaking on the islands.

Mostly school-size bass right now, but there are more and more keepers mixed in.

The Cape

Stripers of good size and big numbers patrolling the south-facing beaches and tidal streams, from Woods Hole down to the Bass River.

Damon Burden at Falmouth Bait and Tackle hauled in a 30-pounder at Menahaunt Beach (on chunk herring). Night fishing has been best. Look for blues in a lot of the same waters. The northerly migrating bass have arrived in force from their Chesapeake Bay wintering grounds.

Ed Mettaville at the Bait Shack in Orleans reports nice stripers being taken at Nauset on the national seashore, but also at South Sunken Beach on the bay side.

Buzzards Bay

The warming waters have heated up the local action. The second half of the commercial tautog season was excellent, according to #^&#^&#^&#^& Hopwood at Maco's in Buzzards Bay.

``Guys were maxing out with 40 fish,'' he said.

Striped bass being taken at both ends of the canal, with extra attention being paid at the herring run in Bourne.

The Islands

Steve Purcell at Larry's in Edgartown claims the bass and blues practically have the Vineyard under siege.
Boston Herald (http://www2.bostonherald.com/sport/golf_tennis_more/fish05232003.htm)