With Fourth of July weekend knocking at our front door, it's about that time for truly serious striped bass fishermen to transition into fishing in darkness. The weather's getting hotter, the fish are beginning to settle into their warm weather haunts, and the bite is the best, without doubt, at night.
Fishing Cape Cod from shore during July and August is usually tough. The majority of the striped bass population will likely be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things can get frustrating on occasion. However hitting the right spots after dark will greatly enhance your chances of tying into one of the Cape's summertime cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will offer you a good chance at linking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the best and most dependable canal fishing happens during early July. This ribbon of water might seem devoid of life during daylight hours, however don't let yourself be fooled-things get moving after the sun sets.
Pip's Rip at the canal's east end may likely be the most dependable producer of keeper bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore probably the most dramatic and extraordinary rip in the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically away from the bottom, then falls into a gulley. The backend of the rip then rises again from the bottom, creating a pair of distinct valleys that will hold big fish if the current is flowing.
Large bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this time of the year. The bass will hold on each tide, so long as the current is moving. Hitting the rip from shore can be tough sometimes. The best opportunity for the shorebound fisherman develops on an incoming tide, when the current is running east.
The rest of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, holes and valleys which all accommodate bass. The tricky part is working out where they are and what tides produce best at each rip.
If you are a canal rookie, walk the canal during the day when the current is really moving. Take along a pad and pen and take notice of the pole numbers that correspond with rip water on the surface of the canal. Come back during the nighttime and fan cast the spot with a heavy jig, trying to keep track of how long it takes the jig to hit bottom.
When you locate a gulley, you will realize that it takes considerably longer for your jig to strike bottom. For instance, one of my favored canal jigging spots boasts an enormous hole, surrounded on both sides by remarkable rock peaks. It'll only take my four ounce jig 7 seconds to hit the top of the rock peaks, however it takes 15 seconds for it to reach the bottom of the gulley.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of wonderful incentives for anglers fishing Sandy Neck. The beach is gorgeous, and it's one of the few shorelines left on Cape Cod where it is acceptable to drive on the sand.
The fishing can be downright awesome too. The good news is for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a considerable population of bass sitting just off the beach in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, now and then, be very large.
It is a real treat for fishermen when these fish move in close to the coastline. This usually occurs through late August and September, however it does, on occasion, occur in July.
I recall being in only 7 feet of h2o last summer off Sandy Neck, pitching eels from the Miss Loretta. We couldn't have been much more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of stripers gulping down our eels through the night. It would have been an impressive night of surfcasting, had there been anyone casting from the beach.
Scorton Creek
Scorton Creek flows into Cape Cod Bay, just to the west of Sandy Neck. The creek on its own is an impressive environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold schoolie striped bass throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek lies Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn hump. At specific times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds large numbers of keeper size stripers. Throughout the night these fish will frequently venture within casting range of anglers fishing East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective. Casting a live eel, or piece of bait into the creek, and allowing it to catch a free trip offshore is a productive way to fish a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the opening of the creek that bass are attracted to.
The most significant consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A powerful current, mixed with darkness and undetectable drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area is an absolute necessity.
No striped bass is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget your headlamp!
Fishing Cape Cod from shore during July and August is usually tough. The majority of the striped bass population will likely be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things can get frustrating on occasion. However hitting the right spots after dark will greatly enhance your chances of tying into one of the Cape's summertime cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will offer you a good chance at linking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the best and most dependable canal fishing happens during early July. This ribbon of water might seem devoid of life during daylight hours, however don't let yourself be fooled-things get moving after the sun sets.
Pip's Rip at the canal's east end may likely be the most dependable producer of keeper bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore probably the most dramatic and extraordinary rip in the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically away from the bottom, then falls into a gulley. The backend of the rip then rises again from the bottom, creating a pair of distinct valleys that will hold big fish if the current is flowing.
Large bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this time of the year. The bass will hold on each tide, so long as the current is moving. Hitting the rip from shore can be tough sometimes. The best opportunity for the shorebound fisherman develops on an incoming tide, when the current is running east.
The rest of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, holes and valleys which all accommodate bass. The tricky part is working out where they are and what tides produce best at each rip.
If you are a canal rookie, walk the canal during the day when the current is really moving. Take along a pad and pen and take notice of the pole numbers that correspond with rip water on the surface of the canal. Come back during the nighttime and fan cast the spot with a heavy jig, trying to keep track of how long it takes the jig to hit bottom.
When you locate a gulley, you will realize that it takes considerably longer for your jig to strike bottom. For instance, one of my favored canal jigging spots boasts an enormous hole, surrounded on both sides by remarkable rock peaks. It'll only take my four ounce jig 7 seconds to hit the top of the rock peaks, however it takes 15 seconds for it to reach the bottom of the gulley.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of wonderful incentives for anglers fishing Sandy Neck. The beach is gorgeous, and it's one of the few shorelines left on Cape Cod where it is acceptable to drive on the sand.
The fishing can be downright awesome too. The good news is for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a considerable population of bass sitting just off the beach in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, now and then, be very large.
It is a real treat for fishermen when these fish move in close to the coastline. This usually occurs through late August and September, however it does, on occasion, occur in July.
I recall being in only 7 feet of h2o last summer off Sandy Neck, pitching eels from the Miss Loretta. We couldn't have been much more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of stripers gulping down our eels through the night. It would have been an impressive night of surfcasting, had there been anyone casting from the beach.
Scorton Creek
Scorton Creek flows into Cape Cod Bay, just to the west of Sandy Neck. The creek on its own is an impressive environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold schoolie striped bass throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek lies Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn hump. At specific times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds large numbers of keeper size stripers. Throughout the night these fish will frequently venture within casting range of anglers fishing East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective. Casting a live eel, or piece of bait into the creek, and allowing it to catch a free trip offshore is a productive way to fish a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the opening of the creek that bass are attracted to.
The most significant consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A powerful current, mixed with darkness and undetectable drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area is an absolute necessity.
No striped bass is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget your headlamp!
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