By George Doucette
Hello again, fellow fishermen and fisherwomen. Well, the bass and bluefish tournament didn’t go as planned. We caught a lot of stripers, but not the big ones I had hoped for. Kudos to The Grey Dolphin’s Capt. John and Capt. Jim: two bass and a bluefish weighing 90 pounds total—a great two-day total. Lots of mackerel in 60 feet of water in Cape Cod Bay. That is what’s taking the bigger fish. Bunker spoons and tube and worm are doing well, also. Those who are live-lining the mackerel as they are jigging seem to be catching the bigger bass. The dump and cc buoy are holding big bass as well. Chunk- ing in Barnstable Harbor is a good bet for 28-36 inch fish. Fresh mackerel is better than frozen, as always. Bluefish are scarce and there are no large schools in the bay as of the middle of July. There are some nice bass on Billingsgate Shoal—try the north edge in 30-40 feet. Jigging wire is taking bass from 26 to 36 inches. I have seen the bait come and go in the Bay over the last 35 years. This July, mackerel and squid have stayed later than usual. If you can find the bait, you will catch the stripers. Deep water is your best choice for 30+ pound linesiders.
A lot of anglers have been asking where I launch my boat to get to the good spots in the Bay. If you don’t live on the Cape, I can suggest a few. The Sandwich Boat Basin has a great doublewide ramp. The fee is $10.00 or you can get a seasonal pass for around $100.00; plenty of parking and a freshwater wash-down. Barnstable Harbor at exit 6 has a small ramp—limited parking and about the same fee. Sesuit Harbor at exit 9b in Dennis has the biggest ramps, one on each side of the harbor, and fees are about $10.00 for very good parking. I suggest you take a day to drive to all these sites in the car or truck to look them over before tow- ing the boat down. All ramps are best used early in the am. If you have any questions that I might answer, feel free to email me at FISHBOAT44@comcast.net. The more you know, the more fish you will catch. Until next month, fair winds and tight lines.
Captain Doucette diagrams how to use Mackerel to catch a Bass.
FORECAST BY: Captain George Doucette has been late spring trolling for stripers in the Cape Cod Bay area since 1970. He currently works in the fishing department down at Monahan’s Marine located in Weymouth, Mass. To have Captain Doucette help outfit your boat, please call (781)-335-2746.
[easy-social-share]