The nearly 604 square miles that constitute Cape Cod Bay can make it difficult for the average angler to locate an area holding big tuna. The tuna are out there for certain, however without the aid of a spotter pilot it can be difficult to locate a spot that will produce some action. The Bay is encompassed by outer Cape Cod to the east, and Massachusetts' South Shore to the west. Giant bluefin tuna can be found roaming throughout the Bay during the spring, summer and fall months. Big bluefins have free reign over the entire Bay. Yet there are a few well known areas that seem to produce more tuna hookups and sightings than other spots inside Cape Cod Bay.
In the tuna fishing world, long distances through rough seas are often just part of doing business. However inside Cape Cod Bay, there are areas closer to shore that will prove better suited for small boats. The Fishing Ledge is one such location. The Ledge sits roughly 10 miles outside the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. The Fishing Ledge is situated more or less smack dab in the middle of Cape Cod Bay. When the wind is light and variable, we can easily access the Ledge in our 21 foot Hydra Sport. Unfortunately, if the seas begin to kick up, it is a smart decision for us to think about heading for the dock. However if the seas are glass calm, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for giant tuna cruising just beneath the water's surface.
Giant tuna will often create a large V-wake as they cruise just inches below the water's surface. Giants are spotted each year doing just this in the area of the Fishing Ledge, and in other areas around the Bay. If you plan on targeting smaller tuna on spinning gear, it may be smart to gauge the size of the tuna before casting. The problem is that this is very difficult to do, especially when you have been searching all day for fish. Add in the pumping adrenaline and it is hard to resist casting to tuna that will undoubtedly destroy your gear.
Smaller tuna were sighted on numeous occasions just north of the Fingers during 2010. The Fingers is located outside Barnstable Harbor, and is much closer to shore than the Fishing Ledge. Tuna in the 150 pound range were commonly seen in this area throughout the 2010 season. Tuna in this weight class are much better suited for light tackle spin fishermen.
The area referred to by seasoned tuna anglers as the Square is another nearshore tuna haunt worth checking out. The spot is located in the deeper water to the west of Billingsgate Shoal and be easily accessed by smaller boats on relatively calm days.. One strategy would be to spend the early hours of a trip catching bluefish on the Shoal. Drifting the live blues later in the day in the Square may yield a surrpise or two in the form of an explosive strike from a giant. Not all of these bluefish may at first sight appear to be "bait size.".
Quite a few of these Billingsgate bluefish are on the enormous side of the spectrum. They may seem too big to use as bait. However a 1,000 pound bluefin certainly has no problem sucking down a 35 inch or longer bluefish.. By using these big bluefish, you are essentially targeting the larger specimens of the tuna population. One problem may be that these big blues can sometimes prove hard to fish under a kite or a balloon. Snipping of a section of the blue's tail can help slow him down and make it easier to use these enormous blues for live bait.
Fishing with Balloons and Kites
Kite fishing is a great way to fish for bluefin tuna. Fishing with kites has really taken Cape Cod by storm as of late. The kite lifts the bait to the ocean's surface, making it appear to be a confused bait swimming widly on the surface. Basically ringing the dinner bell for any tuna in the area. It's essentially the same thing as topwater bass fishing, except the fish is about 300 times bigger.
Details matter when kite fishing. Using braided line on Penn 80 or 130 conventional reels can really help a kite to fly high and strong even in a light breeze. Dropper lines set at intervals from the line running off the kite rod will help to decrease the severity of the angle of the main line running from the reel to the bait. "Bridling" baits can help to increase the longevity of precious live bluefish, pogies and mackerel.
Balloon fishing works well when there is no wind, or when an angler wants to target tuna at a specific depth. It is possible to cover the entire water spectrum by fishing a bait on a kite, and other baits under balloons. An appropriate size egg sinker, say 8 ounces, is attached a distance up from the live bait on the main line using an elastic band. If the depth you desire to place your bait at is 80 feet, then 80 feet of main line is paid out. A balloon is then attached 80 feet up from the live bait. Float the ballon away from the boat and start the drift.
The Cape Cod Canal is among the East Coast's leading striped bass fishing destinations. Montauk, NY may be the one fishing area on Earth eclipsing the Cape Cod Canal when considering productivity and popularity amongst surfcasting fishermen.
The Cape Cod Canal is one of only several places along the striper coast where anglers casting from shore routinely hook up with 20, 30, 40 and 50 plus pound stripers.
There is an enormous learning curve in terms of catching big fish from the "Big Ditch". Figuring out the methods, tidal changes, and best spots typically requires decades. Countless shore bound fishermen find fishing the Canal remarkably frustrating, and quit before ever getting a chance to succeed.
At times it seems as if anybody who can toss a plug or jig in excess of 20 feet can hook a sizable striper from the Canal. In recent years these incredible bass blitzes have most often occurred during the spring. The bass fishing during these times is often fast and furious.
Yet for almost all of the season, any anglers hooking large striped bass with any amount of consistency will be fishermen focusing on the right fishing spots during the correct tide. This knowledge typically takes several years of trial and error in an effort to acquire.
The majority of these hot spots feature some type of bottom structure. Substantial rips, pockets and boulder strewn peaks litter the full length of the Canal. A number of these spots support dramatic depth changes. In some areas the bottom will plummet 30 feet within just a few yards.
There is absolutely no shortage of productive spots along the Canal. I've got a list of approximately twenty-five unique holes I typically pick and choose from when creating a fishing trip. Nonetheless I would be phibbing if I told you that all of those holes produce equally well. Undoubtedly a number of these spots produce more bass than all of the other locations.
The crucial element to catching large stripers at the Canal depends on the fisherman's capacity to locate the best fishing spots. The best regions in the Canal typically feature immense rips, holes, and rocky peaks that striped bass flock to like bees to honey. The following guide divulges to you the exact locations of 10 of the best Cape Cod Canal fishing spots. Just as crucial, the guide makes clear which tides produce best at every spot and why.
It typically takes decades of time and experience to be able to crack the Canal code to discover the spots that produce and which spots do not. More often than not the difference between catching and not catching is measured in just a few yards.
The Ebook offers:
Accurate locations (to the yard) of the best Canal fishing spots The precise distance each rip, hole and rocky peak is from the Canal's shoreline Helpful diagrams and pictures showing where you should cast from Directions concerning how to point your cast in a spot designed to bring your jig or lure directly through the strike zone Information on the most productive tides for every spot and why particular tides out-fish others Specific descriptions of the structure located within each spot.
Catching striped bass at the Cape Cod Canal has never been simpler.
In the tuna fishing world, long distances through rough seas are often just part of doing business. However inside Cape Cod Bay, there are areas closer to shore that will prove better suited for small boats. The Fishing Ledge is one such location. The Ledge sits roughly 10 miles outside the east end of the Cape Cod Canal. The Fishing Ledge is situated more or less smack dab in the middle of Cape Cod Bay. When the wind is light and variable, we can easily access the Ledge in our 21 foot Hydra Sport. Unfortunately, if the seas begin to kick up, it is a smart decision for us to think about heading for the dock. However if the seas are glass calm, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for giant tuna cruising just beneath the water's surface.
Giant tuna will often create a large V-wake as they cruise just inches below the water's surface. Giants are spotted each year doing just this in the area of the Fishing Ledge, and in other areas around the Bay. If you plan on targeting smaller tuna on spinning gear, it may be smart to gauge the size of the tuna before casting. The problem is that this is very difficult to do, especially when you have been searching all day for fish. Add in the pumping adrenaline and it is hard to resist casting to tuna that will undoubtedly destroy your gear.
Smaller tuna were sighted on numeous occasions just north of the Fingers during 2010. The Fingers is located outside Barnstable Harbor, and is much closer to shore than the Fishing Ledge. Tuna in the 150 pound range were commonly seen in this area throughout the 2010 season. Tuna in this weight class are much better suited for light tackle spin fishermen.
The area referred to by seasoned tuna anglers as the Square is another nearshore tuna haunt worth checking out. The spot is located in the deeper water to the west of Billingsgate Shoal and be easily accessed by smaller boats on relatively calm days.. One strategy would be to spend the early hours of a trip catching bluefish on the Shoal. Drifting the live blues later in the day in the Square may yield a surrpise or two in the form of an explosive strike from a giant. Not all of these bluefish may at first sight appear to be "bait size.".
Quite a few of these Billingsgate bluefish are on the enormous side of the spectrum. They may seem too big to use as bait. However a 1,000 pound bluefin certainly has no problem sucking down a 35 inch or longer bluefish.. By using these big bluefish, you are essentially targeting the larger specimens of the tuna population. One problem may be that these big blues can sometimes prove hard to fish under a kite or a balloon. Snipping of a section of the blue's tail can help slow him down and make it easier to use these enormous blues for live bait.
Fishing with Balloons and Kites
Kite fishing is a great way to fish for bluefin tuna. Fishing with kites has really taken Cape Cod by storm as of late. The kite lifts the bait to the ocean's surface, making it appear to be a confused bait swimming widly on the surface. Basically ringing the dinner bell for any tuna in the area. It's essentially the same thing as topwater bass fishing, except the fish is about 300 times bigger.
Details matter when kite fishing. Using braided line on Penn 80 or 130 conventional reels can really help a kite to fly high and strong even in a light breeze. Dropper lines set at intervals from the line running off the kite rod will help to decrease the severity of the angle of the main line running from the reel to the bait. "Bridling" baits can help to increase the longevity of precious live bluefish, pogies and mackerel.
Balloon fishing works well when there is no wind, or when an angler wants to target tuna at a specific depth. It is possible to cover the entire water spectrum by fishing a bait on a kite, and other baits under balloons. An appropriate size egg sinker, say 8 ounces, is attached a distance up from the live bait on the main line using an elastic band. If the depth you desire to place your bait at is 80 feet, then 80 feet of main line is paid out. A balloon is then attached 80 feet up from the live bait. Float the ballon away from the boat and start the drift.
The Cape Cod Canal is among the East Coast's leading striped bass fishing destinations. Montauk, NY may be the one fishing area on Earth eclipsing the Cape Cod Canal when considering productivity and popularity amongst surfcasting fishermen.
The Cape Cod Canal is one of only several places along the striper coast where anglers casting from shore routinely hook up with 20, 30, 40 and 50 plus pound stripers.
There is an enormous learning curve in terms of catching big fish from the "Big Ditch". Figuring out the methods, tidal changes, and best spots typically requires decades. Countless shore bound fishermen find fishing the Canal remarkably frustrating, and quit before ever getting a chance to succeed.
At times it seems as if anybody who can toss a plug or jig in excess of 20 feet can hook a sizable striper from the Canal. In recent years these incredible bass blitzes have most often occurred during the spring. The bass fishing during these times is often fast and furious.
Yet for almost all of the season, any anglers hooking large striped bass with any amount of consistency will be fishermen focusing on the right fishing spots during the correct tide. This knowledge typically takes several years of trial and error in an effort to acquire.
The majority of these hot spots feature some type of bottom structure. Substantial rips, pockets and boulder strewn peaks litter the full length of the Canal. A number of these spots support dramatic depth changes. In some areas the bottom will plummet 30 feet within just a few yards.
There is absolutely no shortage of productive spots along the Canal. I've got a list of approximately twenty-five unique holes I typically pick and choose from when creating a fishing trip. Nonetheless I would be phibbing if I told you that all of those holes produce equally well. Undoubtedly a number of these spots produce more bass than all of the other locations.
The crucial element to catching large stripers at the Canal depends on the fisherman's capacity to locate the best fishing spots. The best regions in the Canal typically feature immense rips, holes, and rocky peaks that striped bass flock to like bees to honey. The following guide divulges to you the exact locations of 10 of the best Cape Cod Canal fishing spots. Just as crucial, the guide makes clear which tides produce best at every spot and why.
It typically takes decades of time and experience to be able to crack the Canal code to discover the spots that produce and which spots do not. More often than not the difference between catching and not catching is measured in just a few yards.
The Ebook offers:
Accurate locations (to the yard) of the best Canal fishing spots The precise distance each rip, hole and rocky peak is from the Canal's shoreline Helpful diagrams and pictures showing where you should cast from Directions concerning how to point your cast in a spot designed to bring your jig or lure directly through the strike zone Information on the most productive tides for every spot and why particular tides out-fish others Specific descriptions of the structure located within each spot.
Catching striped bass at the Cape Cod Canal has never been simpler.
About the Author:
Captain Ryan Collins fishes for striped bass and Bluefin tuna off Cape Cod, MA. Visit his blog, myfishingcapecod.com for insider tips about Cape Cod Canal fishing.
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