By Striper Mike, Sports Port Pro Staff

 Turning the calendar page to March always signifies the beginning of spring fishing on Cape Cod and the state begins its outstanding trout stocking program.

I had the good fortune to do some trout fishing with Rich Ogonowsky, a local EMT and retired fireman. Rich is an outstanding trout fisherman and has particular skills fishing night crawlers from the shore.  His variety of concoctions to add to the hook convinced this veteran angler especially on one particular day when none of the fishing group was catching anything and Rich proceeded to bring in trout after trout. A true trout whisperer that day but all the days I fished with Rich he always gets his trout!

If you have cabin fever this is the time to get out to one of the many stocked Cape Cod kettle ponds and get in on the action. Stop by the shop to get your trout essentials. New product is arriving every week!

By Striper Mike, Sports Port Pro Staff

 As the vast majority of Cape Cod striped bass fishermen look forward to spring and the return of our beloved Striped Bass, for those adventurous souls, Cape Cod has a tremendous freshwater fishery 12 months a year and winter is definitely trout time. With the state stocking tiger, rainbow, brook and brown trout spring and fall, these beautiful fish thrive in many of the Cape’s deep kettle ponds. Trout thrive in cold water and are very active this time of year and are very catchable from shore. A good pair of warm waders or just warm boots and you are ready for Cape Cod trout hunting and hopefully catching. These past mild winters leave the ponds unfrozen and enjoying a sunny, mild winter’s days catching trout and other species like yellow perch, pickerel and on occasion, largemouth and smallmouth bass make for a challenging and enjoyable day.

This year I have targeted ponds from the upper Cape to Nickerson park and enjoy catching trout all along the way and encourage you to give it a try. I’m 100% catch and release and seeing these beautiful fish swim away adds to the enjoyment of fishing.

Here are a few of this winter’s catches:

Lots of Sports Port anglers have been having great luck fishing for trout in our beautiful Cape Cod ponds. Thanks to Glen for sending the picture of the trout seen below. He reports that lately the nightcrawlers have been producing tight lines pretty consistently.

Jim and Mike were kind enough to share a couple of pics below from one of their trout outings. They reported that kastmasters and other spoons were doing the trick on that day.

As always, send us your fish pics and stories and we will include them in our emails! And be sure to follow us on all the social channels!

Shellfishermen and women have been enjoying their clam and oyster harvests. We are FINALLY restocked on the long sleeve gloves that are imperative when going for those shellfish. Stop by if you need a pair or you can always shop at our web store as well. I wish you all bountiful harvests, especially during this holiday season!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy New Year!
Amy

Carl and a few other customers reported that they are still catching Stripers in the canal. There has been schools of mackerel and if you are willing to put the time in and can still feel your fingers enough, you just might get a Striper in December!

Most anglers have already stored their salt water gear and switched over to fresh water activity. The trout fishing has not disappointed! Shiners are the go-to choice for bait fishermen and for anglers that prefer to use lures then all the usual trout lures have been catching; metal spoons like Thomas and Kastmaster, Rapalas, and of course powerbait.

And we have LOTS of shellfishermen and women getting their limits on their favorite shellfish.

Lots of oysters ready to be harvested in Barnstable Harbor.

And for all of you shellfishermen and women and anglers reading this…if you didn’t already know, Our Annual Holiday Sale has officially started! It’s also the first year that we will have the same discounts available to our online shoppers that our in-person customers have enjoyed year after year. (We are continually adding to our web store, but in-person shopping does offer our largest selection.) Come see us in person or shop online!

Until next time, Tight Lines!

Amy

By Striper Mike, Sports Port Pro Staff

Freshwater and Saltwater bass have always been my passion and the Cape Cod fishery couldn’t be a better place to enjoy both. This past week I had the good fortune to get into some outstanding freshwater largemouth bass fishing, two beauties weighing in at 6.5 and 7 pounds respectively along with several 3 pounders and one 4 pounder while also catching some “slot size” striped bass in the 28 to 30 inch range, all from shore and just a few miles from my home here on Cape Cod. No expensive boat with fancy electronics needed, just my fishing gear and a good pair of walking boots!

People travel hundreds of miles to get the chance to fish for Cape Cod striped bass, bluefish, tuna along with so many other species and more are now realizing the tremendous freshwater bass and trout fishing on the Cape 12 months of the year, truly a fisherman’s heaven.

Linda with a nice Striped Bass

With the summer season here, now is the time to get “fishing ready” and take advantage of all the Cape’s ponds and magnificent surrounding ocean with the proper fishing gear for your Cape Cod fishing adventure.

Stop by Sports Port in Hyannis or Osterville and let Amy and her staff outfit you with the latest equipment and local knowledge and remember “if they don’t have it, you don’t need it.”

Lots of bluefish in Nantucket Sound in the Osterville, Cotuit and Hyannis area.

The seabass fishing has been great using squid as well as gulp rigged on jigs. Colliers and Wreck Shoal have been producing some good fish. Squid on rigs and Gulp on jigs!

Anglers going for Scup have not been disappointed. The boats in Nantucket Sound have been catching lots and good sized fish as well. The scup in the canal have apparently been huge.

Striped Bass fishing continues to be strong with good sized fish from Buzzards Bay to Hyannis. On the Northside, the striper reports also remain solid. Top water lures, which are so fun, are reportedly the winning choice.

Nice catch Dean!

Dave with his dinner

On the freshwater side, it seems trout has slowed (or maybe anglers are distracted by all of the saltwater action). Largemouth bass have been hitting on crankbaits, chatter baits and always the rubber worms.

Tight lines!

Amy

Mike’s at it again! The photos above show a perch Mike caught as well as a rainbow trout he has at the end of his line. That water looks coooold! With the right gear you can still get out there to safely enjoy some time by the water and if you are lucky, land a fish.

And where there are yellow perch there are usually bass nearby. I was kayak fishing in Shubaels pond last week and hooked into a few rainbow trout. I paddled past a shore angler and after chatting across a stretch of water we figured out we know each other from the shop! While fishing from shore he was catching perch as well as trout. The fish were very active on this warmer evening, right around sunset. The usual lures were working…gold spoons and the jointed rapala in perch color.

As always, send us your fish pics and stories and we will include them in our emails! Be sure to follow us on all the social channels.

Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

Tight lines and full peck baskets!
Amy