We finally got into a summer weather pattern of southwest winds and warm air temperatures, and immediately things started to percolate in Cape Cod Bay. I had spent a few […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Season’s First Big Bass Is Caught Off Billingsgate
Fogged in, wind-blown, and still fishing
It’s funny how the weather goes around here. Day after day, we hoped all these northeast winds would go away so we could get out there and fish. And it finally […]
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If You’re Fishing for Tautog, Hold Onto Your Rig
Cold winds and hot diesel prices conspire against fishermen
The unrelenting winds from the northeast continue to pummel the Outer Cape, and the prediction is for them to continue throughout this week. With these northeast winds come cooler than […]
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Visit to a Small ‘Drowned’ Island
On Anegada, conch fishing recalls a simpler time
The cold spring weather continues to put the fishing season on hold. Flounder are beginning to bite off the Pamet, and a few tautog are being taken around rock piles, […]
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Stop and Smell the Plankton
Of cold water, sea lice, early birds, and a few new rules
The weather this past week — the temperatures remained cooler than usual and the winds howled — was not conducive to an improvement in fishing. With the water temperature in […]
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Dolphins and Cruise Ships Find Our Hidden Harbors
Notes on playing safely as the season begins
Not much to report on the fishing front, as the water is still a bit too chilled to get things percolating. Striped bass continue their slow, deliberate trek to the […]
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Painting Hulls, Tuning Up Engines, and Sharpening Our Hooks
Will the joys of fishing with smaller groups and more space on boats last?
Another season on the water is soon upon us and, with a little luck, we may not have Covid issues dramatically affecting everything we do. Still, the last two seasons […]
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When East Winds Pummel Our Harbor
It’s time for those who have boats to rethink readiness
The Provincetown waterfront once again took a severe beating from a coastal storm which, other than Hurricane Bob, was probably as intense as any coastal storm we’ve experienced in recent […]
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A Look Back at the Quirks of the Season
It’s time to haul out and sharpen our hooks for next year
It’s that time of year once again. Charter boat captains are doing all those little projects on their boats that there was no time for in season. Boats are beginning […]
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On This Waterfront, We Get It. You Can’t Do It Alone.
Of bluefish, tuna, mola molas, and the colorful characters who define the season
Fall is looming, as the days get shorter and the air and water temperatures drop a little more each week. September can be a tremendous month for fishing here. It’s […]
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Weathering the Weather and Keeping On Fishing
This is the new normal; it’s time to start adapting
In a summer of relentless storms, the latest to hit the waterfront was what remained of Hurricane Ida. This one came racing up the East Coast and packed a much […]
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Bluefish and Blue Crabs, Too
There’s also bonito out there, and a chance at more stripers as they migrate south
Happy days are here again. Bluefish are still solidly in our area, and catches have been fantastic. Can we officially declare the five-year bluefish drought over? I don’t think anyone […]
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Henri’s Wallop Is More Financial Than Physical
Boats haul out, but squid, bluefish, and dolphins are here
The summer of big storms continues, with our first named storm rolling into the Provincetown waterfront over the weekend. Henri was initially predicted to hammer Cape Cod, but its sharp […]
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Bluefish Reign, but Hypoxia Threatens South End of Bay
A major factor is lawn fertilizer raising nitrogen levels
As the water heats up, the bluefishing just keeps getting better and better. I recorded some extraordinary surface water temperatures last week: 77 degrees in the harbor, and 75 degrees […]
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Stripers Are Scarce, as Blues and Squid Take Their Place
Capt. Tom Smith pulls a relic from the ocean floor
We have fallen into what used to be the normal summer pattern, but which we haven’t seen here in eight years: striped bass have all but disappeared in our local […]
