Goose Hummock Outdoor Blog

Video Games vs Fishing...

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

On the 28th of June I was booked by John DiGiovanni for a half day trip. It was his son’s 13th birthday present. Des’s actual birthday was the 25th of June. He brought two friends with him to share the experience. He did this instead of playing a bunch of video games and pizza. Hopefully this with start a trend. It’s a good thing to see kids want to get outdoors and enjoy the experiences it offers.

Des is a very energetic boy and was up to the challenge that the bass and bluefish could hand him. His two friend were no slouches either. We fished the Stony Bar area and the old Screen Range spot near the #3 can in Cape Cod Bay. This area is just south of Welfleet Harbor. Des was able to land 3 keepers and one 13 inch black sea bass on his own.

As I said, it’s good to see kids taking an interest is fishing and other outdoors sports rather than sitting indoors and playing games on either a tv or computer. Come down to the Goose with your kids and see what they might be interested in.

You could be starting them on a path to enjoy what mother nature provides us all in a way that respects what is all around us.

Fishing Cape Cod Bay

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

The Cape has been going thorough a phase in the weather that has not been seen since 1903. By this I mean, clouds, drizzle, rain, and just plane crappie weather. However, the fishing in Cape Cod bay has been outstanding. The most active area has been around the #1 can on the southwest end of Billingsgate Shoals and up around P-town.

Most of the charter fleet has been fishing around the #1 can and along the north edge of the shoals. The fleet started out using the umbrella rig but since squid have shown up in the area the hootchie has been working the best. Most are just using mono line where a few will set up 200 foot wire set ups to hook up on these fish. One type of line that has been overlooked for the most part is lead core line. I use it exclusively and it works very well. Normally I’ll put out 5 to 6 colors depending on how far down I read the fish on my fish finder. The speed is around 4 knots depending on the habits of the fish.

As time goes on and we finally get some sun and warmth I feel much of these fish will spread out along the north edge of the shoals and move up towards the Path. Also, they will move onto the shoals itself. Then we can jig them. That is one of my favorite ways to fish and places to fish. All we need is the sun...

The Stripers Take Up Residence

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

For the last two weeks those of us fishing Cape Cod Bay have been able to count on one thing. That the striped bass could be found in one specific area. Every day you can set a course to a larger area northwest of the #1 can which is on the southwest corner of Billingsgate Shoals. Once in this area put out either single swimming plugs, hootchies, or the more productive system, the umbrella rig. It will not take long before you are hooked up. They aren’t super big. Some of these fish are over 40 inches but most are from 30 to 34 inches in length. Real good bass fishing.

There is a lure combination known and a “combo”. This is a hootchie followed by a swimming plug set up on one line. We, as charter captains use a slightly different system which works that much better. The best way to find this out is to book a trip on one of these boats and see how they set up their gear. One of the pictures is the three guys, Tom, Bob, and Will, that I had out on June 15th with three of the six fish we kept. The other is Will who landed two fish at once with one of these secret “combo” set ups.

If you need to find out how to set up one of these combo’s call or come into the Goose and ask. The guys will show you how it’s done. Goose Hummock - 508-255-0455

That Perfect Rod...

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

For those that fish a lot this will make perfect sense. For those who are just getting into the sport, pay attention. Every once in a while you run across a rod in those racks of rods you’ll find in tackle shops. It may be the odd one in a line of identical rods, or it looks a little different from all the others. Something about it sets it apart from all the others in the racks. You pick it up, check the flex, the weight, the balance. Immediately you know the reel you want, or you may already have, that will go with this extension of your arm that you are holding in your hand. The perfect rod.

Well, I have found a way to make that happen. I went and talked to the guy who fixes my reels and repairs the rods that bust up in my charter business. We talked of that rod that you find on that rare occasion. I asked him if he ever builds rod to which he replied, “every so often.” Well, could you building me two,” I said, “that could be both a good tubing rod yet I could troll other lure systems. That both adults and young children can handle easily.” After some more detailed discussions about which blank I wanted, soft tip with a little meat to the but, extended for grip, long slick-butt, and good porcelain guides for a boat rod, etc. Tom was off to build me “the rod”. In this case two of them.

It’s a few weeks later now. Tom hands me two light weight, black slivers of composite material with eyelets, reel seats and a gimble at one end. I put a pair of Shimona “800” series level wind conventional reels on them and off to Cape Cod Bay I went. After landing a nice 36 inch striper and a good 10 pound bluefish I knew Tom had both the rod building ability but more importantly the philosophical understanding of what a specifically designed rod should act like. However, when I hooked up on what turned out to be a nice 30 pound bass, I knew. The rod had been forged like a mythical sword. Like having a good putter built for you, now you need a new driver. That's going to be Tom’s new mission.

If you know a good rod builder, one with a bit of imagination, bring him a cup of coffee, sit down and talk about what you want built. Be specific. Build that perfect rod, it’s worth it. Or, you can come to the Goose Hummock in Orleans on Cape Cod. Ask for Mike, Gerret, Fran, or whoever is there. Meet Tom whos out back. Together with these guys you will truly have that custom built rod.

The Goose Hummock - 508-255-0455

www.goose.com

The Bluefish Have Returned...

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

To make it short and sweet, the bluefish are back in Cape Cod Bay. This last Wednesday I left Rock Harbor and went up to the Stony Bar area and started trolling an umbrella rig through the area. I got up by the #5 can and turned around and headed towards the #3 can. Out of nowhere with no sign I went tight. I, at first, thought it might be a small bass. To my delight it was a small bluefish. It will not be long. When the water warms a bit these fish will show up in force. I figure about a week or better. Especially with the newly arrive poggies that moved into Welfleet Harbor.

www.capecodbaycharters.com

Get Ready for the Summer...

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

The summer is almost upon us. The bass are in the Bay and the bluefish are not far behind. Right now the stripers are west of the #1 can which is on the southwest end of Billingsgate Shoals. There is plenty of sand eels to keep them fed so they should stay for a while. The north edge of the shoals also holds some fish. The edge of the Brewster flats is also very active with a lot of small fish. There are some keepers mixed in up to 30 pounds so don’t dismiss this area without giving it a good look.

It’s going to be a good season by the looks of things so come down to the Goose, jaw it up with the crew there. They get you rigged up with all you'll need. Just be ready to hang on when you hook up.

This last Sunday and avid fisher woman, A Miss Anne MacDonald, tested her skill against these stripers using some light tackle that was provided to her by the captain of the Stunmai II out of Rock Harbor. Miss MacDonald took home two nice keepers she landed using a 10 lb. test trolling set up.

www.capecodbaycharters.com

Big Fish in the Bay

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

Each day that goes by seems to bring more and more stripers into Cape cod Bay. Some of our boats, from Rock Harbor, have seen schools of small and just legal bass moving from the deep water off the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals, over the shoals and into the area west of the old Target Ship.

There is plenty of bait for these fish. The whole area is full of large schools of sand eels. Up towards the # 3 can by Stony Bar and up towards Welfleet Harbor is loaded with mackeral right now. When the bass find them we will have a blitz on our hands.

The lure of choice in this area is the umbrella rig on 150 feet of wire trolled at around 3.5 to 4 knots. If you see the fish on the bottom using a fish finder let a little more line out. There are a lot of undersize bass but there are many fish up to 40 inches mixed in. I don’t see this changing for at least another week or so. Some of these fish will move on in their migration but many will stay.

Lisa Buziewicz, from DC, will attest to this. She came along with the Jerry Kottman party aboard the Stunmai II, out of Rock Harbor, and showed everyone up by landing the biggest fish of the bunch. A 38 inch striped bass. Not bad for an up and coming engineer who had never fished before.

Cape Cod Bay Comes Alive...

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

It has been a long wait but the 2009 fishing season has started in Cape Cod Bay. This last Saturday, the 16th of May, a few boats ventured out on to Cape Cod Bay looking for the first run of the striped bass. They were not disappointed. A large amount of small and legal size bass were found west of where the old Target Ship used to be. There were small groups of birds working these fish and by that one could see there were numerous schools of bass in this area. Most of the fish were under the legal limit but working through the small fish each boat came up with the keepers they needed. The fleet at Rock Harbor in Orleans is off to a good start.

There were a number of good signs that this may be a good season. First, there is a good number of fish entering the Bay. Second, there seems to be plenty of bait to keep the fish around. The main thing we see is the fish are in good shape and healthy looking. Let the water warm up just a little more and this place will go nuts. There are some good size fish around. Fish to be measured in pounds not inches.

The two young ladies in the photo are from Bulgaria. Lyubomira Yordanova (Lucy) and Elena Karakasheva (Leni) are on the Cape to work for the summer. They got a chance to tangle with some of the newly arrived bass and did very well. They easily got dinner for the evening and the next few days too.

www.capecodbaycharters.com

stunmai@copper.net

Ralph Wilkins fought and brought in this 900-pound bluefin tuna by himself.

The Season is Upon Us...

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

It’s the early part of April. The day is going to be in the low 50’s and sunny. The smell of spring is in the air. Now, have you gotten your rod and reel cleaned with new line on it yet? If not, get down to the Goose Hummock right away, the fish are almost here.

With all the turmoil going on in the country, here on the Cape we can count on one thing. When spring comes so do the bass, flounder, bluefish, and all the other finned critters we go fishing for. The freshwater anglers can fish year round for the most part but us saltwater anglers have to wait for our quarry to come with the spring season. Now that it is here anticipation is starting to mount so get your gear ready.

In a week or two the first spring run stripers will show up on the south shore of the Cape and shortly after that they will hit Pleasant Bay, the outer beach and then Cape Cod Bay, Barnstable Harbor and other little nooks and crannies around Cape Cod Bay.

A few days ago, while in Orleans Center, I spotted a Jeep with rod holders on the front bumper. In one of those rod holders was a light action bait cast rod and reel with a white squiggly lure hooked on one of the guides. This means some fisherman has already started looking. So, don’t be the last one there, get ready, it’s time...

This describes who can get a permit to purchase

This section describes how only residents may purchase ammo. There is not a section for nonresidents

Going Back to Basics

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

I fish Cape Cod Bay out of Rock Harbor in Orleans. I've been running a charter business since 1980 and fished the bay for a few years before that. I did some cod fishing out of Nauset Inlet and Chatham for 5 or 6 years also. Actually, I've been fishing either the Cape Cod Bay , Pleasant Bay or off shore since 1955, when I first came to the Cape. I moved down here soon after getting out of the service in 1972. So, I have seen some of the changes, especially in the actions and habits of the fish in this area. Most of my experience is in Cape Cod Bay. However, I am not claiming to be an expert or to have all the answers. But, the Bay is going through some changes.

When I first started running a charter boat we would steam out to the deep water off Billingsgate Shoals, set out my umbrella rigs and start catching bluefish. Occasionally, and I mean occasionally I would hook up on a bass. The only way you got any stripers was early morning on the shoals or jigging with the 450 feet of wire. Does this sound familiar? This is pretty much what is happening now. The big difference is there is a lot of small stripers on the shoals now. The average length is 26 to 27 inches which means they will be legal next season. This is a good thing.

What I'm doing now is showing my regular clients that taking on the abundance of bluefish we have using light tackle can give an angler as much of a challenge as any big striped bass could. It can also give that action you need to keep a family busy landing fish. Kids can be an impatient lot. The hard fighting bluefish keeps them concentrated on getting their fish to the boat. The bluefish was and really still is the mainstay of our industry fishing Cape Cod Bay. When I listen to what the other Captains say over the radio the statement, well, there is always the bluefish... is repeated often. The big stripers will be back, but until then hooking up on the bluefish while trolling 6 lb. test line will more than keep our most seasoned angler happy.

www.capecodbaycharters.com

Rock Harbor Fishing Report, The Bass Fishing Gets Good.

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

Since the spring it seems that the normal schedule of where and when the fish, the bass and bluefish, show up and make their moves from one place to another has been a little off. The stripes concentrated in areas we were not used to and the bluefish showed up, in mass, a little late. Now things have settle down to what we hope to be a relatively normal summer. That is if anything can be normal this season.

Right now most of the legal size bass are located in the deep water off the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals. The main schools of bass move from northeast to southwest as the tides and the bait move. There are very large schools of sand eels in this same location and that is why the bass and very large bluefish are there. You would stick around the area where your dinner was served too. There is enough bait in this area to last for weeks so we may find them here for an extended period of time. This make the might umbrella rig a very productive method although you may have to use wire up to 200 feet in length.

The other area in the Bay that is showing signs of improving is the New Grounds. Basically this is a large area west of the old Target Ship and off the Brewster Flats and as far west as off Paine's Creek. You see the sea clammers in this area a lot. Anyway, the clammers have reported seeing schools of bass around their dredges as they haul back to empty them. Also a small number of the charter fleet has found some good sized bass while jigging in the area where the clammers are working. It would be a very good place to check out. Use your umbrella rig to look over the area and when you find the fish by hooking up, put out your jigs and see what happens.

One area we have not seen much action from is Billingsgate Shoals. One day a few weeks ago we had a northerly wind and there were some decent sized bass up on the west end of the shoals. It lasted one day. If we get a fairly strong northwest wind it should blow all those stripers in the deep water up on the shoals a long with all that bait. This is a good thing. Jigging and hootchies on mono should work very well there and the fish will be a little easier to find. This is one time when we do pray for wind. Just have it happen at night. Oh yes, the bluefish. There are still a moderate amount of bluefish up along the Eastham shore during high water. All you need do is trolling some hootchies up through there.

For the past 3 to 4 years I've been taking Chris Ewen and his daughter Emily fishing. Sometimes it's just Chris and Emily and other time Chris bring some friends, but he always brings Emily. Last season Emily landed her biggest bass on a light lead core line set up. It was right around 40 pounds. Emily is considered to be a good luck charm. The group always does well with her a long. She also seems to land the biggest bass of the trip. This season was no exception. While fishing in the deep water of the north edge of Billingsgate Shoals Emily hooked up on what seemed to be a big fish on the lead core system. As the mate pulled this fish over the rail it was obvious that she had bettered her biggest fish. This bass was almost 45 pounds. She had very little trouble handling this fish now that she's 14 years of age.

If you'd like and try and break Emily's record give me a call at: cell - 508-240-8267 or home: 508-255-6211.

www.capecodbaycharters.com

stunmai@copper.net

By: Capt. Hap Farrell

It is that time of the season. The real first sign that life is coming back to the world of sport fishing on Cape Cod. First there are some reports that the early anglers have found a few small stripers in the estuaries of the south shore of Cape Cod. These are the secret spots that these anglers have and start to check this time of the year. They claim there are fish there. The second sign is finding the gulls working Paine’s Creek that ends up at the Brewster Herring Run. These gulls are working on the first real heavy run of Herring making their way up to the run.

The next area on the lower Cape that will hold these small early run stripers will be the small river leading to Meeting House Pond and the Narrows between the mainland and Pochet Island in Pleasant Bay. This area is located at the end of Barley Neck Rd. and then walk to the left. There is now word on anyone checking these areas, it is a tiny bit early. We are going to get a number of sunny days next week (14th to 18th of April) so this may warm up the water enough to bring these fish in.

Swing by the Goose Hummock (508-255-0455) and check in before fishing these areas. Either Fran or Garret may have already checked them and other places and will know what is going on. Or,you can be the first and check them yourself and then go tell them. One thing is going to happen, the fish will arrive.