The sheer amount of tuna in Massachusetts Bay over the past few seasons has been staggering. Impressive schools of juvenile tuna, along with giant tuna visit the Cape each season. They feed on the plethora of mackerel, herring, sandeels and whiting (to name just a few of the many prey items) that are plentiful off Cape Cod. Many of the tunas are caught in places accessible by smaller boats. Fish over the 500 pound mark are caught each year from boats more suited for striped bass fishing..
There has been a lot of hype in the media about giant tuna being depleted and on the verge of extinction. This may be true in places like the Mediterranean Sea and off Asia, however our Cape Cod fishery is strong and the tuna are plentiful.
Luckily for Cape Cod fishermen, much of the action can be found within a short steam from the harbor. Many of the top tuna fishing destinations are just a few miles off the Cape Cod shoreline.
Impressive schools of tuna fed heavily just north of the Fingers in Cape Cod Bay during June of 2010. The tuna were a mere 6 miles from the Barnstable coast.. These fish proved difficult to catch, however the top water feeding frenzies were downright impressive.
On certain mornings, hundreds of bluefins could be spotted across the horizon, whipping up whitewater and crushing baitfish on the surface.
The fall of 2011 has the potential to be epic for Cape Cod tuna fishing. If the weather cooperates, there is no reason why many big tuna will not be caught.. The bait is here in abundance, and more than likely the tuna fishing in our neck of the woods will break wide open during September and October
Throughout this fall, my crew and I will be targeting giant bluefins. If all goes well we hope to latch into a tuna greater than 72 inches in length. Our go-to technique will be drifting live bait.. We will use balloons to target tuna beneath the waters surface, and kites to target surface feeding bluefins. Kite fishing is essentially the same as topwater fishing for striped bass, except the intended catch is about 200 times bigger..
Juvenile bluefish make one of the best baits for the biggest of bluefins. Catching 12-18 inch bluefish around Cape Cod is, regreattably, not always easy.. Snack size blues can be found throughout the Cape's many bays and harbors. These areas are, unfortunately, usually located a fair distance away from the tuna grounds. Adding to the challenge is that bluefish always seem more difficult to find when you need them the most.. The tricky part is figuring out a way to transport the feisty chompers, once you finally catch a few, to Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank and other tuna hotspots.
A bait well full of menhaden may be easier to obtain than blues. On a good year, millions of pogies flood into the water surrounding Cape Cod.. These filter feeders can be gillnetted or cast netted in many of the Cape’s back bays and estuaries. Expect to put in many hours of searching and trial and error before locating and perfecting the art of catching live menhaden.
For those not up to dealing with the complexities of obtaining live bait, artificial offerings are a viable option. Artificial presentations may not be as desirable for targeting giants, however they still catch they fair share of behemoth fish.. Trolling squid bars is one of the more popular techniques employed by the ares top captains. There are a variety of other trolling options available as well.. The jigging and popping crowd always amazes the general population by wrangling tuna on relatively light spinning gear.
Tuna can be caught in a multitude of ways. The key is determining what method works best for you and your crew. Experiment with different techniques until you discover one that works well for you..
Without a doubt, autumn is a fantastic time to be a fishermen on Cape Cod. The bluefin fishing is great, but it is not all that the Cape has to offer.. Aside from tuna, the striped bass fishing and whale watching can be incredible.
If the tuna bite slows. switching tactis and pursuing stripers is always an option. Big bass are fequently found in the general vicinity of tuna.. Sometimes 20-40 pound bass are caught on the same pogies and squid bars intended for bluefins. On some days bass are even refferred to as a nuisance by tuna anglers..
Lets cross our fingers for fair weather for the fall of 2011. There will surely be some monstrous tuna and striped bass brought back to the docks in the months ahead..
The opportunities are truly endless.
The fall of 2011 has the potential to be epic for Cape Cod tuna fishing. If the weather cooperates, there is no reason why many big tuna will not be caught.. The bait is here in abundance, and more than likely the tuna fishing in our neck of the woods will break wide open during September and October
Throughout this fall, my crew and I will be targeting giant bluefins. If all goes well we hope to latch into a tuna greater than 72 inches in length. Our go-to technique will be drifting live bait.. We will use balloons to target tuna beneath the waters surface, and kites to target surface feeding bluefins. Kite fishing is essentially the same as topwater fishing for striped bass, except the intended catch is about 200 times bigger..
Juvenile bluefish make one of the best baits for the biggest of bluefins. Catching 12-18 inch bluefish around Cape Cod is, regreattably, not always easy.. Snack size blues can be found throughout the Cape's many bays and harbors. These areas are, unfortunately, usually located a fair distance away from the tuna grounds. Adding to the challenge is that bluefish always seem more difficult to find when you need them the most.. The tricky part is figuring out a way to transport the feisty chompers, once you finally catch a few, to Cape Cod Bay, Stellwagen Bank and other tuna hotspots.
A bait well full of menhaden may be easier to obtain than blues. On a good year, millions of pogies flood into the water surrounding Cape Cod.. These filter feeders can be gillnetted or cast netted in many of the Cape’s back bays and estuaries. Expect to put in many hours of searching and trial and error before locating and perfecting the art of catching live menhaden.
For those not up to dealing with the complexities of obtaining live bait, artificial offerings are a viable option. Artificial presentations may not be as desirable for targeting giants, however they still catch they fair share of behemoth fish.. Trolling squid bars is one of the more popular techniques employed by the ares top captains. There are a variety of other trolling options available as well.. The jigging and popping crowd always amazes the general population by wrangling tuna on relatively light spinning gear.
Tuna can be caught in a multitude of ways. The key is determining what method works best for you and your crew. Experiment with different techniques until you discover one that works well for you..
Without a doubt, autumn is a fantastic time to be a fishermen on Cape Cod. The bluefin fishing is great, but it is not all that the Cape has to offer.. Aside from tuna, the striped bass fishing and whale watching can be incredible.
If the tuna bite slows. switching tactis and pursuing stripers is always an option. Big bass are fequently found in the general vicinity of tuna.. Sometimes 20-40 pound bass are caught on the same pogies and squid bars intended for bluefins. On some days bass are even refferred to as a nuisance by tuna anglers..
Lets cross our fingers for fair weather for the fall of 2011. There will surely be some monstrous tuna and striped bass brought back to the docks in the months ahead..
The opportunities are truly endless.
