The Fishing News

The final week in September brings the finish of the Fishing News on WCAI - but saltwater fishing continues in our region, as "the fall run" funnels southward-migrating striped bass along our coast through October. Big bluefish are in abundance as well.

Tautog fishing will keep up until the end of November. And then?

The fall round of trout stocking in state ponds gets underway at the end of September. Trout raised at Sandwich Fish Hatchery will be stocked into ponds around our area. The trout make fun catching and nice eating. Kevin Blinkoff, of On The Water magazine, says heading to the ponds is a great activity for a quick  after-work fish, or for enjoying the fall foliage while fishing.

Steve Junker and Kevin Blinkoff discuss trout fishing tactics in the audio posted above.

The saltwater fishing season approaches its finish with a nice bit of symmetry. Just as springtime offers the spectacle of fishermen awaiting the arrival of large striped bass, September brings the same. Fishermen across the Cape and Islands are anticipating The Fall Run, when those large bass which passed through earlier in the year on their northward migration should now return, this time heading south.

The scientific name for the Atlantic blue crab is Callinectes sapidus. Translated from Latin, that means 'beautiful savory swimmer.'  We live at the northern end of the range of blue crabs - and they are a delicacy worth getting out and hunting for.

In Massachusetts, no permit is needed to go for blue crabs by handlining or dipnetting.  There are, however, a few rules:

From Cape Cod up through the Boston area, bigger bluefish have not shown up in-shore in substantial numbers this year. Kevin Blinkoff, editor of On The Water magazine, says the fish probably found enough to eat offshore, and just never made their way to the Coast. There's no real concern about bluefish population numbers - especially as big schools of juvenile bluefish, also known as "snappers"- are now making their seasonal appearance in abundance.

"Hast seen bonito?"

Mid-August is here, bringing symptoms of Bonito Fever to anglers across the Cape and Islands. The fast-swimming member of the tuna family arrives from the south at this time of year, and its appearance is eagerly awaited by many fishermen. Already, reports of bonito catches are coming from the Hooter and the Bonito Bar, two locations south of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard known for early bonito bite.

When the water gets warm, it's time to target big striped bass down low. One of the most effective pieces of tackle for this is the tube - a curious piece of gear resembling a short length of surgical tubing. This week on The Fishing News, Captain Phil Stanton details how to fish the tube.

"Fishing the Tube," a conversation with Steve Junker and Captain Phil Stanton, is posted in the audio above.

You find periwinkles in almost every rocky nook of our tidal coastline: small snail-like creatures clinging onto boulders, lining tide pools. Pluck one off and roll it in your palm for a few seconds, then watch as the periwinkle pokes out from its shell as if to get its bearings.

Periwinkles - the common species is littorina littorea - also make good eating, and they are an often overlooking shellfishing resource.

Fluke are a flatfish. They're also known as Summer Flounder. As the waters warm around the Cape and Islands, it's a great moment to go for fluke, and Jimmy Fee of On The Water magazine shares tips in this week's Fishing News.

As the water temperature rises, those larger striped bass that have not gone offshore are likely to be hunkering down in cooler, deeper spots. One way to entice them is to fish with live eels. But if you've never fished eels before, the prospect can seem intimidating - just take a look into the bait tank at those writhing critters... On The Fishing News, Kevin Blinkoff of On the Water magazine, gives a primer for getting started with eels. Here are the bullet points: