Plymouth resident Ken Almeida has been fishing in the area all his life. His column appears every other week during the fishing season.
I guess summer finally arrived last week, with those 80 and 90 degree days. Of course, now people will be complaining about the heat!
A couple of weeks ago I fished at Long Pond with a couple of my Y.A.C. buddies and we had an excellent morning of trout fishing. We launched Steve’s boat about 6:30 a.m. and he headed down to my favorite trout hole. Tim O’Connor was with us and he is one of the better trout fishermen in the club. It wasn’t long before Tim caught the first of many white perch.
We were all using nightcrawlers and it wasn’t long before I, too, caught a couple of white perch. If you don’t get your worm below the perch, you’re not going to catch any trout. I decided to try my luck with orange power bait pellets and it was one of my better moves. We were fishing in about 60 to 70 feet of water and it wasn’t long before I got a hit. When the fish came to the surface, I thought it looked like a good-sized smallmouth bass, because it jumped and I got a good look at the belly of the fish. It turned out to be a beautiful rainbow trout that probably weighed between 2 1/2 to 3 pounds.
I really don’t like to use power bait. The trout usually swallows it and that makes it difficult to remove the hook without injuring the fish. I’ll cut the line and release the fish, but on this morning we successfully released two brown trout and a couple of rainbow. We kept six rainbows and Tim caught another nice rainbow to join the three I put in the live well. It was a great morning of trout fishing and I was very surprised that we were the only boat on Long for about two hours. I’m looking forward to our next venture to Long Pond.
Cherry’s Bait
Maureen has been kept busy with a few stripers coming into the shop, weighing between 25 to 30 pounds. Cherry’s has a new phone number, 774-404-7876, so you can call ahead for your bait, especially if you are planning an early morning trip. They also have a good selection of new tackle as well as their full line of bait, especially frozen mackerel and live eels. Cherry’s opens at 5 a.m. daily and closes about 6 p.m.
Capt. John Boats
The Capt. John is fishing daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and whale watches leave the Town Wharf and 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. If you’re interested in spending a day at Provincetown, the ferry leaves the State Pier at 10 a.m. and returns at 6 p.m. Reservations are suggested for Provincetown trips as well as fishing and whale watches.
Mary Elizabeth
Capt. Tim Brady Jr. was fishing at P-Town when I contacted him last Monday. They already had a number of good-sized stripers on board. The Mary Elizabeth is fishing daily, from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and open boats are available afternoons from 2 to 6:30.
Wavelength Charters
The Wavelength has had some excellent trips in recent days, especially at Race Point. Call the Wavelength for a reservation and further information. I guarantee you’ll have a great time fishing with Capt. Hobson.
Fore River Bait & Tackle
Lisa reported that the flounder fishing has really picked up at George’s Island, Rainsford, and Strawberry Ledge off of Nantasket Beach. Live mackerel and tube and worm have been the best bait to use for those big stripers.
Canal Bait & Tackle
Bruce had some big bass come in last Sunday, led by Pat Schultz’s 38-pound beauty. Amy also landed a nice 33-pound striper, taken in the Canal. Jigging and yellow or white pencil poppers are working extremely well at the big ditch, especially at the east end in the morning hours. The west end is producing some big tautog, and the scup have been very active.
Red Top, Buzzards Bay
Mark, from the Red Top, told me that their first 50-pound striper came in last week, and that even late morning fishing has been very good at the Canal. “Savage Jigs” and “Al Gag’s” poppers are working well for the big ones.
Green Harbor Bait & Tackle
Scott reported that the beach fishing, at night, has been good, if you’re using cut mackerel and “Savage” baits. Stripers between 35 to 40 inches have been taken and Professor Mark has been doing very well fishing the beach at night. The Green Harbor jetty has been producing some good flounder.
Coop’s, Martha’s Vineyard
Coop was glad to see a few bluefish showing up at the Vineyard. The striper fishing has slowed down and the fluke are ready for the annual tournament, which is being held this weekend. Last week, a shark fisherman landed a 300-pound tiger shark. Quite a few brown sharks are also in the area. So if you like to fish for sharks, I’d highly recommend a trip to Martha’s Vineyard.
Andy-Lynn
Capt. Mario Costa has been giving his customers some great striper trips. He has quite a few four-hour charters that keep him fishing in the Plymouth waters. Schoolie bass are very plentiful and he always manages a few fish over 28 inches. If you’re interested in one of these four-hour trips, give him a call.
Plymouth 400 Tournament
Don’t forget that next weekend is the Plymouth 400 Bass & Blue Tournament. It looks like it’s going to be another great event, starting with the Captain’s Dinner on Thursday evening. You can pick up a registration blank at Pioppi’s Package Store or the Plymouth 400 office at 6 Main Street Extension, Post Office Square.
Adult fee for the tournament is $45 and youth ages 7 to 15 is $20. This is a great family event, and proceeds go to the 400th anniversary celebration of the Mayflower voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony.
Plymouth resident Ken Almeida has been fishing in the area all his life. His column appears every other week during the fishing season. If you have a fish story you’d like to share, write to him care of the Old Colony Memorial, 182 Standish Ave., Plymouth, MA 02360.
