By far the most daunting task, especially in our neck of the woods, is locating quality fish. It doesn't matter what varieties of fish are targeted, the ability to consistently find fish on each fishing trip is half the battle, and is the most important ingredient to a successful season.
Locating fish within the 604 square miles of water that constitute Cape Cod Bay may be very similar to locating a needle within a haystack. Nantucket Sound to the south is not much more inviting. However you can consistently locate quality fishing, no matter the season, climate conditions or the presence of bait, provided that a sound tactic is employed.
And in this day an age, consistently locating striped bass, when fishing Cape Cod, relies heavily upon the use of electronics.
Choosing a Starting point
All of us love those rare days when diving birds and breaking fish lead the way to great fishing. Or those exceptional moments in the event the fishing report we read in yesterday's newspaper rings true.
The fact is that on many trips we really do not have these luxuries. Way more often we are welcomed by miles of seemingly lifeless water with no signs as to where the bite is best. Which creates the problem, amongst all this wide open h2o, where do we start?
Employing the most latest intel possible is a sensible way to produce a starting point.
Let's say the only intel we have is that last weekend a number of nice bass were caught in 60 feet of water somewhere in Cape Cod Bay. Even though we are not supplied any in-depth information by this report, the bit of data we are presented with (60 feet of water) is crucially essential, taking into consideration the vastness of the Bay.
Sixty feet of water will probably be our place to begin.
Commencing the Search
Driving over to a depth of 60 feet and promptly placing baits within the water is simply not a smart decision. The likelihood that bass will be holding in the first location we try, even if it is a well known hot spot,are certainly slim.
Additionally, it is a waste of precious time to troll around all dayi n 60 feet of water, wishing and praying to stagger across a striperor two. On the other hand we can easily maximize our time and efficiency by using a more proactive strategy to finding fish using our electronics.
All that is needed is a trustworthy color sonar unit. Systems worth thousands of dollars are nice, however a color unit bought for a few hundred bills will work just fine.
The next measure to frequently finding fish is to identify what track to start the search. Say for instance you depart Barnstable Harbor,arrive at a depth of 60 feet and know from experience that you have done very well to the west, in the area off Sandy Neck. In this example it can make the most sense to begin our search by proceeding in a westerly course.
Always keeping a close eye on the sonar, we'll cruise west at a sensible speed-one that will permit us to clearly view fish marks on the sonar, while also enabling us to cover loads of water. For most units, a speed of around eight miles-per-hour will work fine.
Since the Bay is vast, and for the greater degree, devoid of any fish holding structure, we often might go miles without marking a single fish on the sonar. This is great news because we have eradicated miles of water that we may of squandered hours trolling through.
When You Should Begin Fishing
On some excursions it may only take a few minutes to mark a bass on the sonar, and on other trips it could take multiple hours. However it is essential to not underestimate the importance of even just a single mark on the sonar.
If you notice a definitive bass mark on the sonar, chances are that you have found one of hundreds of fish in the area. Striped bass are particularly prone to hang out in large schools. During 2010 we found on various instances, schools of bass around a mile in length.
By and large that one mark on the screen, is but one of countless fish holding in the immediate vicinity.
Now is the time to put lines in the water and commence fishing. And if after fifteen or twenty minutes, there are no takes or more fish marked on the sonar, it is time to resume the search.
It is often possible to uncover a school of say 20-40 pound stripers, and follow them for miles. Having said that it is easy to lose the school if too much time is spent fishing in one area, and not enough time is spent using sonar to stay on top of the school.
Splitting Free From Conventional Methods
A lot of people usually tend to get caught up on hammering the GPS coordinates from a productive past trip, or gravitating to reputable hot spots or fleets of other boats. Frequently, lines go in the water despite no evidence of fish on the sonar.
The fact is that fish are almost continuously on the move, and frequently move quickly. In wide open areas without structure and significant current, investing more time actively moving around, and a smaller amount of time with lines in the water, will maximize the prospects of finding a spot holding fish.
Locating fish within the 604 square miles of water that constitute Cape Cod Bay may be very similar to locating a needle within a haystack. Nantucket Sound to the south is not much more inviting. However you can consistently locate quality fishing, no matter the season, climate conditions or the presence of bait, provided that a sound tactic is employed.
And in this day an age, consistently locating striped bass, when fishing Cape Cod, relies heavily upon the use of electronics.
Choosing a Starting point
All of us love those rare days when diving birds and breaking fish lead the way to great fishing. Or those exceptional moments in the event the fishing report we read in yesterday's newspaper rings true.
The fact is that on many trips we really do not have these luxuries. Way more often we are welcomed by miles of seemingly lifeless water with no signs as to where the bite is best. Which creates the problem, amongst all this wide open h2o, where do we start?
Employing the most latest intel possible is a sensible way to produce a starting point.
Let's say the only intel we have is that last weekend a number of nice bass were caught in 60 feet of water somewhere in Cape Cod Bay. Even though we are not supplied any in-depth information by this report, the bit of data we are presented with (60 feet of water) is crucially essential, taking into consideration the vastness of the Bay.
Sixty feet of water will probably be our place to begin.
Commencing the Search
Driving over to a depth of 60 feet and promptly placing baits within the water is simply not a smart decision. The likelihood that bass will be holding in the first location we try, even if it is a well known hot spot,are certainly slim.
Additionally, it is a waste of precious time to troll around all dayi n 60 feet of water, wishing and praying to stagger across a striperor two. On the other hand we can easily maximize our time and efficiency by using a more proactive strategy to finding fish using our electronics.
All that is needed is a trustworthy color sonar unit. Systems worth thousands of dollars are nice, however a color unit bought for a few hundred bills will work just fine.
The next measure to frequently finding fish is to identify what track to start the search. Say for instance you depart Barnstable Harbor,arrive at a depth of 60 feet and know from experience that you have done very well to the west, in the area off Sandy Neck. In this example it can make the most sense to begin our search by proceeding in a westerly course.
Always keeping a close eye on the sonar, we'll cruise west at a sensible speed-one that will permit us to clearly view fish marks on the sonar, while also enabling us to cover loads of water. For most units, a speed of around eight miles-per-hour will work fine.
Since the Bay is vast, and for the greater degree, devoid of any fish holding structure, we often might go miles without marking a single fish on the sonar. This is great news because we have eradicated miles of water that we may of squandered hours trolling through.
When You Should Begin Fishing
On some excursions it may only take a few minutes to mark a bass on the sonar, and on other trips it could take multiple hours. However it is essential to not underestimate the importance of even just a single mark on the sonar.
If you notice a definitive bass mark on the sonar, chances are that you have found one of hundreds of fish in the area. Striped bass are particularly prone to hang out in large schools. During 2010 we found on various instances, schools of bass around a mile in length.
By and large that one mark on the screen, is but one of countless fish holding in the immediate vicinity.
Now is the time to put lines in the water and commence fishing. And if after fifteen or twenty minutes, there are no takes or more fish marked on the sonar, it is time to resume the search.
It is often possible to uncover a school of say 20-40 pound stripers, and follow them for miles. Having said that it is easy to lose the school if too much time is spent fishing in one area, and not enough time is spent using sonar to stay on top of the school.
Splitting Free From Conventional Methods
A lot of people usually tend to get caught up on hammering the GPS coordinates from a productive past trip, or gravitating to reputable hot spots or fleets of other boats. Frequently, lines go in the water despite no evidence of fish on the sonar.
The fact is that fish are almost continuously on the move, and frequently move quickly. In wide open areas without structure and significant current, investing more time actively moving around, and a smaller amount of time with lines in the water, will maximize the prospects of finding a spot holding fish.
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