GOOSE HUMMOCK MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND FISHING FORECAST
- phil32990
- 21 hours ago
- 2 min read
LONGTIME GOOSE CUSTOMER EDDIE VAGENAS WITH A NICE SOUNDSIDE STRIPER THIS WEEK
The weather forecast isn't looking ideal, but Memorial Day weekend is still shaping up to be one of the better early-season fishing opportunities Cape Cod has seen in quite a few years. The consistent theme across reports coming into the shop and our online sources, is that water temperatures finally jumped into perfect range for many species, bait is flooding in, and multiple fisheries are turning on all at once!
Here’s the breakdown by species and region:
Striped Bass Forecast
The striped bass bite looks excellent across most of the Cape heading into the weekend. Large migratory fish are now well established in Buzzards Bay, the Canal, South Side beaches, and parts of Cape Cod Bay. Reports mention fish from the mid-20-inch range up into 40+ inch class bass.
Best Bets
Cape Cod Canal
Strong jig bite with fish feeding aggressively on herring and mackerel. Early morning tide changes should be prime. Expect crowds. Lots of crowds.
Buzzards Bay
Big bass continue moving through with southwest winds helping push bait and warmer water.
Nantucket Sound
Schoolies and slot fish mixed with bluefish. Topwater bite is improving quickly.
Cape Cod Bay
Better numbers of fish showing, especially around shoal edges and breaking fish at dawn.
Best Techniques
Canal: heavy jigs, soft plastics, Al Gags, paddletails
South Side: pencils, spooks, soft plastics
Bay trolling: tube-and-worms, mojo rigs
Nantucket Sound Beaches: needlefish and darters
The biggest challenge may actually be finding legal slot fish. Many reports mention oversized bass dominating the catch right now. Massachusetts regulations remain one fish between 28" and under 31".
Bluefish Forecast
Bluefish officially arrived this week and reports say they showed up “in numbers.”
Hot Areas
Nantucket Sound
Vineyard Sound
South Side rips and beaches
This could be the first truly good bluefish weekend of the season. Surface feeds are already happening, especially mornings and evenings.
Topwater plugs, pencils, and poppers should be very effective.
Fluke, Scup & Bottom Fishing
Bottom fishing may quietly be the sleeper fishery this weekend.
Reports indicate:
Fluke season is now open
Scup fishing is rapidly improving
Tautog action remains solid
Sea bass activity is increasing in Nantucket Sound
Best Areas
Nantucket Sound
Buzzards Bay
Vineyard Sound structure and shoals
Best Baits
Squid strips
Bucktails tipped with Gulp
Green crabs for tog
Sea worms, Clam and squid for scup
Surfcasting Outlook
This weekend could produce very good surf action, especially:
Upper Cape nighttime tides
South Side dawn blitzes
Canal tide changes
Wind direction will matter. If southwest winds stay moderate, expect cleaner water and better topwater opportunities on the South Side. Strong east wind would likely push anglers toward protected Bay and Canal areas.
Overall Memorial Day Fishing Grade
Fishery | Forecast |
Striped Bass | Excellent |
Bluefish | Good |
Fluke | Maybe |
Scup | Very Good |
Tautog | Good |
Most Likely “Hot Bite” This Weekend
The consensus from reports is:
Big striped bass in the Canal and Buzzards Bay
Bluefish blitzes on the South Side
Improving mixed-bag bottom fishing in Nantucket Sound
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