THE MIGRATION

October 8, 2004 - With the autumn migration now in full swing we are beginning to field reports from anglers that are experiencing the best that the season has to offer. Most of the noise is coming from the Bay where wading anglers are discovering substantial numbers of fish in the Sandwich Town Beach and Scorton Creek areas.
We just chatted with Dennis resident, John Amiro, and he was jubilant in recounting the success he's been enjoying while toiling on the beaches located in his town. It seems that Chapin and Corporation have yielded the most action, while Mayflower is also holding fish. Most of the victims have been your garden-variety schoolies in the 20-24" bracket, with an occasional bluefish in the mix.

The key to success in this angler's eye is to schedule your visits around the ebbing high tide. While your chances will be greatly enhanced should this occur during periods of low light, Amiro explains that daytime can also offer opportunity, particularly during the fall migration. While fly selection has played less of a roll in October, it's not to assume that it is entirely meaningless. Since the water he is covering is generally 3-6 feet in depth, John usually employs a series of Clouser-style flies fished on an intermediate line for the bulk of his work.

We would expect action to continue for at least another 3-4 weeks before becoming more of a crapshoot.
I recently took a stroll (more out of curiosity) to the Sage Harbor inlet opposite Hardings Beach in Chatham only to find random groups of Albies busting at 10-15 minute intervals well out of fly rod distance. The unsuspecting boaters (usually loaded to the hilt with gear) that seemed intent on heading for the high seas in pursuit of their quarry were oblivious to their presence as craft after craft sounded the schools. The few fly anglers working the immediate area were not experiencing much luck, however I did witness a longrodder along Hardings release fish after fish all appearing to be18-20" stripers.

While the flats areas of Chatham have all but shut down for the year, the south facing surf beaches are experiencing a rebirth. Traditionally shuttle service to North Monomoy and South Beach will commence on the Columbus Day weekend so the point may be moot anyway.

We have had a number of anglers making the trek from Chatham Light to the breakwater and fishing has been nothing short of spectacular. Expect to find both bluefish and stripers in the mix with the potential for a real cow.

Good fishing and safe wading,
JB