CAPE COD FISHING FORECAST- APRIL

Early spring fishing on Cape Cod never starts with a resounding bang, but rather a series of soft, hopeful whispers. The first harbinger of the kick off to the new fishing season will be rumours of stocking truck sightings at the various ponds where they do such a thing.

Generally, the stocking trucks begin to roll in the last two weeks of March, setting up April as the true kick off to the new fishing season. As of this writing, many of the Cape's historically stocked ponds have received their first rounds of fish.

I never actually feel badly about paying the freshwater fishing license fee when I first experience the quantity and quality of the stocking job the state does in our local ponds in the Spring. The 30 some odd bucks is almost always worth the price of admission.

Now, alot of guys like to wait until the stocking trucks begin making their rounds because it's a surer bet- but don't let that stop you from pre-fishing the stocking. The holdover trout will not be as numerous, but there are some lunkers to be had right after ice out. ​ These fish are fully acclimated to being in the pond and feed normally and naturally. The newly stocked fish usually take days or weeks to come off their hatchery feeding schedule and dietary preferences.

What will you need to catch these newly stocked trout?  At first, bait is the way to go.  Whether you use a manufactured bait like Berkley Power Bait or the classics like nightcrawlers, meal worms and salmon eggs, newly stocked fish will be habituated to eating these kinds of things. As the air and water temps start to edge towards the 50's at the end of the month, you can tote out your spinners, spoons and flies to great effect and success.

Whether you will be able to enjoy early season fishing in March/ April will almost solely be a function of your choice in fishing

apparel. March fishing is generally a shore based affair and some measure of wade fishing is usually part of the equation. If you aren't appropriately outfitted for that, it will be miserable. The Goose can help you. with the right clothing and gear for early season fishing.

You need two things to be comfortable fishing in early spring- good neoprene waders with an insulated boot and water proof/ water resistant fingerless gloves. For me, once any extremity or digits get cold, the clock is ticking on the length of the fishing excursion. For fishing Cape Cod in the spring, the most important piece of gear you can own are good quality neoprene waders. Our most popular and best selling are the FROGG TOGGS AMPHIB NEOPRENE CHEST WADER.​​​​

Depending on water temps at your favorite pond, largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing will begin turning on. These fish will be sluggish...you can leave your top waters at home until May.

Best bets? Shiners(of course), suspending swim baits , jigs and paddle tails. The trick to catching freshwater bass in March and April? When you think you are fishing and retrieving slowly, kick it down another notch and fish even slower.

On the saltwater front, it will be very quiet in March and April. At the beginning of April, the first herring scouts will be entering our saltwater rivers to perform their annual spawning duties. A good place to begin checking for them is Bells Neck Rd  in Harwich. It's easy to see them in this run and you have the added bonus of a Bald Eagle and Osprey sighting. When these birds of prey start working the river, it's a sure sign that spring is right around the corner and the stripers will begin piling in soon! 

Can you catch a striper on Cape Cod in April?  If you get an unseasonably warm day or stretch of days in April, you sure can, but you are going to have to be hardy and cold weather tolerant, willing to go many casts with out a fish and know where the few spots are that have hold over stripers on Cape Cod.

Most of my April holdover stripers have been caught on small white curly tail jigs, small suspending swim baits and chartreuse / white clousers when fly fishing. Why these baits? They can be fished very slowly. With water temps in the 40's in early spring, hold over stripers are not going to be screaming across the bay or river to smash a topwater like they will later on in May. Fish slowly.

Tautog (Blackfish) will begin pushing into shallower water and getting on structure in early to mid April depending on water temps. You should begin targeting jetties, rock piles and artificial reefs as soon as water temps drift into the mid to high 40's.As always, Green crabs will be go-to bait.

Squid-If Nantucket Sound waters hit 50 degrees in April, that fishery will begin. In most years, it is a May fishery, but mid to late April starts are not uncommon in warmer Springs.