Eastern Ma & New England Area Fishing Reports

[DogBone_384]

I took our friend's son, Evan, to Peter's Pond in Sandwich on the Ranger yesterday afternoon.  Evan learned to cast his new baitcast setup.  The weather was perfect, high 70's a light wind from the SW.  Water temps were 81.x and the air pressure was 29.8.

 

Evan didn't catch anything.  I caught 4 yellow perch and a small SMB, all on the same ghost-chartreuse-shad LV500 that worked at Great Herring last week.  I lost a good SMB too. A drop-shot, Keitech Fat Impact, and Rapala DTs failed.

 

My Lowrance marked most targets suspended in 20+ feet.

[Dunks N Dinks]

Fun morning yesterday on LPH before the 'White Claw Navy' showed up. Smallies were stacked under clouds of bait on deep flats and were more than willing to entertain a heavy drop-shot rig for a few hours before the sun scattered them. Pulled a ~3.5er out of nearly 40fow on one of my first drops, on my way to a ~14lb limit by 10am. Also got a bonus catfish on 7lb test that had me thinking i had stumbled on a 6+lb brown bass haha. Only drawback was the 25 minute wait to get the boat out of the water as the ramp scenery has become circus-like on days ending in -Y.  

[DogBone_384]

23 minutes ago, Dunks N Dinks said:

Only drawback was the 25 minute wait to get the boat out of the water as the ramp scenery has become circus-like on days ending in -Y.  

Great outing!  I’ll see you guys mid September when the Summer crowd is gone!

[Mr. Aquarium]

Got out Friday afternoon/night, couple bass, 3 bass and a pickerel. Whopper plopper got it done. Drove around checking new spots after dark, 1st 2 were locked up solid with weeds, 3rd looked decent, no fish.    Went to old faithful, water was super cloudy, didn’t fish.  Hit a spot close by that I knew I’d get bit here, nothing big but always good for a couple fish. Got 2  chunky bass 2-3lbs on the buzz jet. Then hit another up the road, got a smallie on the buzz jet. 
 

only a handfull of bass for the trip but 2 good ones 

 

[DogBone_384]

I took and afternoon trip to Great Herring in Plymouth.  I don't know what happened, but someone took all the big SMB somewhere else.  I started with a slow lap around to let the Lowrance show the way.  I didn't mark much and gambled on the cool nights driving fish shallow.  That wasn't the case.  I stuck with a LV500, chrome Rapala Skitter Walk, 4" wacky Senko, and two different size Keitech.

 

I marked a few bait balls with "fish reveal" dots around them, but try as I might, couldn't buy a bite.  Finally, just before dusk, I managed a SMB on the small Keitech, at the point that's to the left of the launch.  A few casts later a tiny yellow perch thought it could swallow a LV500 that was bigger than he was.

 

Water temps were 77.x, it was mostly cloudy, fairly breezy from the south until just before dusk, and the air pressure was 30.1.    

 

I gotta get some of Mr. Aquarium's mojo quick ... the fall onslaught is near....  It's that or my kayaks put bad juju on my new boat because I've neglected them for the last couple months.

[Mr. Aquarium]

Dog bone, go hit different ponds in the new boat 

[Dunks N Dinks]

Finally crossed the Sagamore for the first time in a few weeks and headed to Webster over the long weekend. First time on that body of water for me so I spent the first hour or so graphing around in hopes of finding a couple summer offshore grass nuggets holding fish. My efforts were partially rewarded early on, as I found a pretty cool isolated grass patch right next to some bluegill beds (shown below) which i caught two decent chatterbait fish on early in the day. After those two clues however, the well went dry for a few hours as i searched for similar habitat. The dock bite never really materialized, and I only managed to salvage the rest of the day with 8-9 bite flury of small keepers on a drop-shot on the outside edge of grass-lines leading into a shallow pocket.

[DogBone_384]

Took a late afternoon trip to Long Pond on Cape Cod on Tuesday afternoon.  Only got an hour and a half in, and caught one small SMB on a SMB flavored LV500.  I have a 'game plan' for my trips this fall. 

 

Most fish were marked suspended in 20 - 25' of water. The water temp was 77.x, winds were 5 mph from the SE, and the air pressure was 30.2.

 

I met Saltysmalljaws and Dunks'N'Dinks at the ramp when leaving, and talked fishing for a few before heading home.  I hope to fish with Salty again this fall.  He's an 'encyclopedia' of Cape Cod fishing.

[DogBone_384]

Hit two ponds today: Blue Hills Reservoir in Quincy, and Mashpee/Wakeby in Mashpee.  Blue Hills was a short, lunch time trip while waiting for my Daughter to get her nails done.  I nabbed two LMB and one yellow perch.  Both bass were  small, as was the YP, but it was the biggest YP I've caught there.  One bass and the YP hit a ghost/chartreuse/shad LV500 and the second LMB took a 3.5" Swing Impact (regular, not fat) on a 1/8 oz. Cool Baits Under-spin.  It was overcast, with a little drizzle and light breeze from the NE.

 

Mashpee/Wakeby was more of a shake-down run for my upcoming Cape Cod marathon.  I threw a couple different LV500's, brown/green chatterbait, bluegill DT16, big/small Keitech, and a purple/brown tube.  I didn't catch anything, nor did I really mark much.  It was a half hearted trip, but I have a basic game plan.  M/W is a BIG, DEEP, pond, which it my weakness.  I'm going to need a heavier drop shot weight to get to 30'+ where most of the fish I marked appeared to be.  It was in the mid '70's with on/off drizzle and a 5 mph wind from the south.  Water temps were 77.x and the air pressure was 30.2.

[Dunks N Dinks]

Tourney Recap: LPH 9/13 

 

Hopped into an open team derby on Sunday on LPH and some "home-cooking" went a long way. Overall it proved a rather tough bite, not unusual for this time of year, but our team managed 13lbs and change to take the W. Conditions were pretty typical for the late-summer period, with a slightly cooler and calm 60degree morning transitioning to a gusty 10-15mph SE wind in the afternoon. Water temps were 73-75. 

 

Tactics-wise, we never even bothered to get within a cast's length of the bank, rotating between three deep spots a handful of times throughout the day. These spots all were in 20-35fow, had bait present, and had a prominent depth change nearby. Finesse tactics were the mainstay, though i did get a couple bites in the early AM on reaction. Pulled the tourney lunker out of 34fow on a drop-shot that went 3.8lbs.  

 

[Mr. Aquarium]

Nice smallies, good job gettin the W

[DogBone_384]

My first fall fishing trip to Cape Cod's been tough.  Fished Long Pond Sunday afternoon and Monday morning then Mashpee/Wakbey in the afternoon.  I dropped my kayak in Bucks Pond this morning. Long Pond and Mash/Wake, combined, coughed up three SMB, with the biggest coming in at 1.64 pounds.  Bucks, which is usually a guarantee, struck me out with three fast balls.

 

The wind averaged 20+ mph Sunday and Monday and were closer to 30 mph today. Bucks has pretty good protection, but it didn't matter.

 

I marked plenty of targets and bait suspended in roughly 25+ feet of water.  I threw the kitchen sink, and without a green pumpkin Ned and black/blue 5" Senko, would have been completely shut out.

 

Water temps were in the low 70's Sunday and 64.x today.  Air pressure was 30.5 Sunday and Monday, dropping to 29.8 today.

 

Gonna give it another shot somewhere else tomorrow.

[raoka]

just curious to those that fish the cape lakes often...how is the fishing there usually at the end of oct/early nov? thanks again ya'll! (i am from the boston area!)

[JAB50]

Honestly,

I caught a 7lb 8oz largemouth on the Cape, right after Veterans Day. I was throwing a jig. Bass can be caught year round, down there. I fished the cape this past January( MLK week), my brother and I caught smallies and largemouth on suspending jerkbaits, jigs and blade baits. It was tough, but we caught fish. 

A few years ago, for that 7lb+ largemouth.

Personally,

I’ve had some of my best fishing on the Cape, in November. If you get out on the Indian summer days( warms up to 55-65) and is sunny out, it tends to be dynamite. The usual go to patterns are jig(black or black/ blue 1/4oz), spinnerbaits (1/4,3/8), lipless crankbaits, Texas rigged creature baits and dropshot. Usually in that order.

[DogBone_384]

On 9/24/2020 at 8:06 AM, JAB50 said:

Bass can be caught year round, down there.

I second this statement.  I fished with Saltysmalljaws in March and did very well.  This fall’s been tough, but following this thread can help tremendously.

 

I fished Goose Pond yesterday to close out my first fall Cape Cod trip.  I didn’t catch a seven pounder, but a nice LMB, just under three pounds, devoured a 5” T-rigged, green pumpkin swim Senko on the edge of a steep drop off.  

 

Yesterday’s water temps were 66.x, air temps in the high 60’s, winds about 15 mph from the west, and air pressure at 29.8.

 

ADD: I forgot to mention that Goose pond was the only water I fished this week that had schools of bait fish on the beach.

[JAB50]

When the water hits around 55-60 degrees, they’ll be very active. Feeding up for the winter.

[raoka]

im just hoping the weather doesnt get too cold! haha yes if its around water temp of 60's ill be happy haha

[DogBone_384]

13 hours ago, raoka said:

just hoping the weather doesnt get too cold!

I've had some of my best trips when the water temps get to 50 & below, using blade baits and lipless crankbaits.

[raoka]

guess im just too inexperienced:P we shall see either way. but thanks for the hopeful responses haha

 

[DogBone_384]

Keep at it. The more you fish, the more experience you gain.

 

This forum & YouTube are great resources.

 

Good luck.

[Frezzy]

Is anyone else on BR fishing the Chu for Smallies?  I’ve been hitting it Hard 3 days a week since it opened.  The last few weeks has been extremely tough for me.  I fished the last 3 mornings for a total of 12 hours and only had 3 bites, landed two.  I think they might be schooled up off shore chasing smelt.  Anyone having any luck?

[MassYak85]

On 9/25/2020 at 11:19 AM, JAB50 said:

When the water hits around 55-60 degrees, they’ll be very active. Feeding up for the winter.

I'm counting the days man this transition period has been kicking my butt. All of september has been frustrating trying to get anything going. 

[Mr. Aquarium]

On 9/23/2020 at 9:57 PM, raoka said:

just curious to those that fish the cape lakes often...how is the fishing there usually at the end of oct/early nov? thanks again ya'll! (i am from the boston area!)

No ones on the lakes, fish are chewing, I fish blades and light jigs, I’ve had great days  with small 1/8-1/4 hair jig, and a small jighead with a small swimbait.  I’ve even had great topwater fishing at night In late October and  early November.  

[DogBone_384]

27 minutes ago, Mr. Aquarium said:

great topwater fishing at night

You youngsters that can still see well at night ...?

 

I'll be back there Monday - Wednesday with the Ranger & kayaks.  I'll try to remember my blade baits this time!

 

[Mr. Aquarium]

1 hour ago, DogBone_384 said:

You youngsters that can still see well at night ...?

 

I'll be back there Monday - Wednesday with the Ranger & kayaks.  I'll try to remember my blade baits this time!

 

Night fishin is awesome! All by feel, hear the splash feel weight set the hook