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 […]
Fisheries
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
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 […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
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 […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
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 […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
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 […]
SHELLFISHING
Temporary Moratorium Imposed on New Town-Owned Grants
Wellfleet Shellfish Advisory Board asked to recommend uses of HDYLTA Trust flats
WELLFLEET — The select board imposed a temporary moratorium on aquaculture grants on town-owned flats off Indian Neck on Aug. 16, pending a review by the town’s shellfish advisory board. […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
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 […]
HDYLTA
2 Years Later, Planning Starts on Those Indian Neck Tidal Flats
Some call for balancing interests of shellfishing, boating, and upland owners
WELLFLEET — More than two years ago, town meeting voters bought 254.5 acres of shellfish flats for $2 million, with half the money donated by select board member Helen Miranda […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
New Tuna Chasers Need an Etiquette Lesson
Wicked Tuna converts are crowding the old-timers on Stellwagen
We finally got a week with somewhat normal summer weather, and fishing has been what it should be in midsummer. The bay seems very quiet right now; the cottages at […]
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An Anxious Week on the Wharf
The effects of the Covid cluster are felt on the waterfront
It certainly has been a strange week on the waterfront. First, we are getting some weird sunsets over the water, as the atmosphere is filled with smoke from the Western […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Reports of Big Bluefish and Black Sea Bass
And, perhaps, one more casualty of Tropical Storm Elsa
Fishing is settling into a typical summer pattern. Water temperatures have been up and down all season, but last week they were in the mid 60s to low 70s, which […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Elsa Makes a Mess in the Harbor
Southeast gusts of 61 mph at high tide create havoc
Unrelenting storms continue to ravage the Cape this summer, with the latest being Tropical Storm Elsa, which blasted us last Friday afternoon, July 9. It was a really bad combination: the […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Things Were Just Fine, and Then…
After a sudden drop in water temperature, the fish were gone
We take three steps forward and two steps back, which is an old story with fishing. Things were going very well, as striped bass fishing was consistently solid and bluefishing was […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Bass Are Running in Huge Numbers
Whales are scarce, but white sharks are appearing
Striped bass fishing dramatically improved this past week, with huge numbers of mixed-sized fish moving into the area between Wood End Light and Race Point. Most of the fish ranged […]
