HOT SPOT OF THE WEEK:  The race at Provincetown for stripers in 35 to 40 feet of water.

TIP OF THE WEEK:  Use 10.5 inch shankas in pink and white colors. They are out-fishing live mackerel.

COASTAL REPORT:  Tuna fishing is stuck in a nasty weather pattern. With warmer weather in the forecast, tuna fishing should improve rapidly. A few tuna are being caught on pink squid bars at Peaked Hill Bar or down to the Golf Ball. Most of StellwagenBank is pretty slow for tuna fishing. Cod fishing is still holding up with cod and haddock moving a little deeper. Most of the cod are coming on jigs and there are a lot of throw-backs. Back to striper fishing – the backside beaches are slow and most areas are closed to beach fishing to protect the Piping Plovers. Even the race at Provincetown is shut down. Fishing in 35 to 40 feet of water from before the Rip at Race Point to the Bath House is hot – the best so far this season. Most of these stripers are coming on weighted 10.5 inch white Shankas or red and black or black and purple Hotjigs.

On Wednesday, I fished with Captain Mark Hurley on Seaborne  with the Woodward charter group, all local Pembroke workers. They all caught stripers to forty inches and had a great time (it was their first fishing trip ever. They released many stripers to fight again and many bluefish – some in the mid-teens. All their stripers were in the 35 to 40 inch range. Over in the Plymouth-Duxbury Bay area fishing for mackerel is still really good at the entrance bell. Striper action is still real good at Bug Light, Clark’s Island, the Cordage Channel and Brown’s Bank. Not many fishermen are targeting flounder, but there are plenty around to be caught. Best flounder fishing is up on the flats near the Cordage Channel.

Over in Green Harbor flounder fishing remains good (some nice keepers). The Farnham Rock area is a good place to jig up some mackerel for tuna or striper fishing. Over at Beatles Rock there have been some small keeper stripers caught on live mackerel – and some jumbo bluefish. Over at Third and Fourth Cliffs at the North River, striper action has been real good. Best bet here is to go out to 70 to 90 feet of water and jig up some mackerel and then fish them off Third and Fourth Cliff and the Bell at the mouth of the river. There are still some flounder at the mouth of the river but not many guys fishing for them.

There are still some nice keepers in both the North and South Rivers but the best fishing is outside the Rivers now. In the morning I am headed out tuna fishing – see you in next week’s column.  Good fishing!