WELLFLEET — Jimmy Mulpeter stands under the shade of a patio umbrella on an August afternoon, holding oyster after oyster against a metal gauge before tossing them into one of […]
Fisheries
AQUACULTURE
Off the Tides, the Work Goes On for Oystermen
Culling, sorting, tumbling, tagging, and selling are unseen tasks of the trade
WELLFLEET — Jimmy Mulpeter stands under the shade of a patio umbrella on an August afternoon, holding oyster after oyster against a metal gauge before tossing them into one of […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Torn Between Two Currents
Colder water, fewer bluefish, and mola molas moving in
Fishing took a bit of a nosedive this past week. Striped bass really thinned out between Race Point and Peaked Hill Bar, and although some moved down toward Head of […]
ON THE BEACH
The Secret of Tasty Blues
The art of the quick kill and bleeding brings out the best in bluefish and bonito
Everybody who owns a rod and reel enjoys catching bluefish. They are aggressive, hard-fighting, love to come close to shore, and will eagerly hit just about any lure cast their […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Summer Ups and Downs
Eels, pogies, bluefish, and giant tuna
Fishing remained good on the Outer Cape this past week, with August rolling in on a quiet note weatherwise. Striped-bass fishing was again solid from Race Point all the way […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
A Windless Week Makes for Good Fishing
What’s to worry about? Depredation and invasive species.
It’s been another good week for catching striped bass and some bluefish. Provincetown charter and party boats all reported excellent catches, and we’re very grateful we’ve had a windless week […]
ENVIRONMENT
Cape Cod’s Coral Gardens (Yes, We Have Corals Here) Are in Trouble
NOAA expands its research into deeper waters from Maine to North Carolina
If you were to picture coral right now, your mind’s eye would surely see tropical reefs with crystal-clear turquoise water. But that image is incomplete: the temperate seas around the […]
ENVIRONMENT
Cape Cod’s Coral Gardens (Yes, We Have Corals Here) Are in Trouble
NOAA expands its research into deeper waters from Maine to North Carolina
If you were to picture coral right now, your mind’s eye would surely see tropical reefs with crystal-clear turquoise water. But that image is incomplete: the temperate seas around the […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Summer Weather Brings On the Blues
Pacific tuna are rebounding; here’s hoping that’s true in the Atlantic, too
Fishing around the Outer Cape is heating up with this summer weather, which has been ideal; we are getting a fraction of the heat they’ve been feeling on the mainland. Striped […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
The Summer of Wind
Still no blues, just worries about an ocean experiment
The summer of 2024 will be remembered on the waterfront as the summer of wind. Apart from a few windless days here and there, we have been pummeled day in […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Bass Fishing Heats Up, but Bluefish Are Nowhere to Be Found
Remembering ‘JB’ Browne, one of Provincetown’s legendary fishermen
Fishing for striped bass took a giant leap forward last week as the area between Race Point and Peaked Hill Bar exploded on July 4 like the fireworks that were […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
When Sweet Sea Breezes Are Winds That Won’t Quit
Finding stripers at the Cape’s tip, but bluefish are in hiding
I’m not a scientist, but as a more-than-casual observer of all things ocean-related, it seems to me that it’s been getting windier out here. What I have known since childhood […]
ON THE BEACH
A Fisherman’s Luck
Skill is one thing, but how to explain the hits and hookups that happen on the very last cast?
Knowing a backshore beach’s structures — the deeps, shallows, and river-like troughs between the shore and the first sandbar — is as important to catching fish as knowing the tides, […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
Of Flaky Fish and Future Storms
Warm waters in the Caribbean, bonito in the bay
The fish cannot seem to make up their minds about where they want to be for more than a day at a time. It looked like they were settling in […]
THE SCUTTLEBUTT
An Odd Pod off Nantucket and Rambunctious Dolphins in Provincetown
Fishing heats up with bass, schoolie-size tuna, and the first of the blues
I wrote last week that fishing being what it is, we could have a 180-degree turnaround from the slow showing of bass. Well, we did. Striped bass made a big […]
