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 the shoreline during July and August is usually challenging. The bulk of the striped bass population will be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things may get frustrating now and then. However, showing up in the right spots, at night, will greatly increase your odds of tying into one of the Cape's summer season cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will present you with a good chance at hooking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the finest and most consistent canal fishing takes place during early July. This ribbon of water may seem devoid of life during sunlight hours, however don't let yourself be fooled-things get going after the sun sets.
Pip's Rip inside the canal's east end may very well be one of the most reliable producers of big bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore the most striking and extraordinary rip in the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically off of the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating a duo of pronounced valleys that can hold fish when the current is flowing.
Striped bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this stage of the year. The stripers will hold on each tide, so long as the current is flowing. Casting to the rip from shore can be tough from time to time. The ideal opportunity for the shorebound angler takes place on an incoming tide, when the current is moving 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 beginner, walk the canal during the day when the current is really moving. Take along a pad and pencil and be aware of the pole numbers that coincide with rip water on the surface of the canal. Return during the nighttime and fan cast the spot with a hefty jig, keeping track of just 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 as well. The good news is for Sandy Neck anglers, there exists a sizeable population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, now and then, number in the hundreds.
It is a real treat for shorebound anglers when these bass move in tight to the coastline. This often occurs during late August and September, however it does, from time to time, 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 is simply, by itself, a remarkable environment. Its upper reaches even sometimes hold schoolie stripers throughout the wintertime.
Just offshore of the creek sits Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn underwater hill. At times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds significant amounts of big stripers. At nighttime these fish will often venture within range of anglers casting from East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective. Pitching a live eel, or chunk bait into the current, and allowing it to catch a free ride offshore is a productive way to present a bait. There are a few holes and gulleys at the mouth of the creek that bass flock to.
The most important consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A powerful current, combined with darkness and unexpected drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area needs to be an absolute priority.
No stripers is every worth risking your life!
Tight lines, catch 'em up, and don't forget your headlamp!
Fishing Cape Cod from the shoreline during July and August is usually challenging. The bulk of the striped bass population will be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things may get frustrating now and then. However, showing up in the right spots, at night, will greatly increase your odds of tying into one of the Cape's summer season cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will present you with a good chance at hooking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the finest and most consistent canal fishing takes place during early July. This ribbon of water may seem devoid of life during sunlight hours, however don't let yourself be fooled-things get going after the sun sets.
Pip's Rip inside the canal's east end may very well be one of the most reliable producers of big bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore the most striking and extraordinary rip in the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically off of the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating a duo of pronounced valleys that can hold fish when the current is flowing.
Striped bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this stage of the year. The stripers will hold on each tide, so long as the current is flowing. Casting to the rip from shore can be tough from time to time. The ideal opportunity for the shorebound angler takes place on an incoming tide, when the current is moving 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 beginner, walk the canal during the day when the current is really moving. Take along a pad and pencil and be aware of the pole numbers that coincide with rip water on the surface of the canal. Return during the nighttime and fan cast the spot with a hefty jig, keeping track of just 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 as well. The good news is for Sandy Neck anglers, there exists a sizeable population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, now and then, number in the hundreds.
It is a real treat for shorebound anglers when these bass move in tight to the coastline. This often occurs during late August and September, however it does, from time to time, 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 is simply, by itself, a remarkable environment. Its upper reaches even sometimes hold schoolie stripers throughout the wintertime.
Just offshore of the creek sits Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn underwater hill. At times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds significant amounts of big stripers. At nighttime these fish will often venture within range of anglers casting from East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective. Pitching a live eel, or chunk bait into the current, and allowing it to catch a free ride offshore is a productive way to present a bait. There are a few holes and gulleys at the mouth of the creek that bass flock to.
The most important consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A powerful current, combined with darkness and unexpected drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area needs to be an absolute priority.
No stripers is every worth risking your life!
Tight lines, catch 'em up, and don't forget your headlamp!
About the Author:
If you are a fisherman interested in reading more about fishing Cape Cod, and finding big striped bass , please check out the article Developing a Strategy for Finding Big Fish.
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