Hi Folks,It has been awhile since I posted here so Ill offer this short report. Since we have had a cold, cloudy and wet spring, the water temperatures on the ocean side of the Cape have been cold. The offshore water temperatures have been around 52 to 54.5 degrees. Yesterday our non eventful tuna trip, registered 54.5 degrees at the early and south end of our trip and ranged up to 58.7 degrees at the north and afternoon end of our trip. We saw incredible amounts of feeding whales, birds and bait, yet did not raise a bluefin to our trolled baits. The harpoon fishermen have had on again off again action, with a few catches on one day then nothing for the next day or two. It seems that all of the elements are there, water temperatures have risen, the bait supply is there and I’m convinced it is ready to bust open, and hopefully we will be on the water for the action and you will be on board.
As for the striped bass, I have yet to take a trip. I usually don't see fish in my Rips of Monomoy until Father’s Day, so any folks that have been calling to go prior to that I have been sending to areas with warmer waters. We here that fish on the backside (east side) of Cape Cod have much cooler waters in the spring and early summer than Nantucket Sound or Cape Cod Bay. Hence our season starts a bit later than those places. But when those August doldrums come calling and all of those warm water locations are only catching bluefish, we will have stripers on the bite until November. I have had sporadic reports of fish in the Monomoy area, but again its on again for one day or tide, then off for another day or two or off on the next tide. I too have seen photos on Facebook of lobster crewmen that fish on boats operating out of Provincetown areas and the backside of the Cape, holding up stripers, so I suspect there may be some fish being caught there as well.
My reservation book is now about 50% full, and with limited days for the best bluefin tuna and striper fishing tides, perhaps one should reserve as soon as you know when you can get away. Send me an email regarding your window of vacation time and I will reply to you with what may still be open and unbooked. My phone gets answered only when I get in from fishing, as I find it impolite to take calls while Im working on a charter, and some times I am just out of cell range when I'm offshore. But please leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I can.
Good luck fishing this weekend, Happy Father’s Day
Cape Bruce & “Marilyn S”