With Fourth of July weekend tapping at our front door, it's about that time for truly serious striped bass anglers to transition into fishing at night. The weather's getting hotter, the fish are beginning to settle into their summer time haunts, and the bite is best, undoubtedly, after dark.
Fishing Cape Cod from the shoreline during July and August is usually difficult. The greater part of the striped bass population will undoubtedly be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things can get frustrating for shorebound anglers. However hitting the right spots at night will greatly improve your chances of tying into one of the Cape's summer time 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 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 likely be one of the most reliable producers of sizeable bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore one of the most dramatic and outstanding rips within the entire canal. The rip rises sharply away from the bottom, then falls down into a gulley. The backend of the rip then climbs up dramatcially from the bottom, creating not one, but two distinct valleys that will hold big bass if the current is running.
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.
Fishing 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 merely 7 feet of water last summer off Sandy Neck, casting eels from the Miss Loretta. We couldn't have been more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of stripers gulping down our eels all 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 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 stripers is every worth risking your life!
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget your headlamp!
Fishing Cape Cod from the shoreline during July and August is usually difficult. The greater part of the striped bass population will undoubtedly be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things can get frustrating for shorebound anglers. However hitting the right spots at night will greatly improve your chances of tying into one of the Cape's summer time 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 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 likely be one of the most reliable producers of sizeable bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore one of the most dramatic and outstanding rips within the entire canal. The rip rises sharply away from the bottom, then falls down into a gulley. The backend of the rip then climbs up dramatcially from the bottom, creating not one, but two distinct valleys that will hold big bass if the current is running.
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.
Fishing 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 merely 7 feet of water last summer off Sandy Neck, casting eels from the Miss Loretta. We couldn't have been more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of stripers gulping down our eels all 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 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 stripers is every worth risking your life!
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget your headlamp!
About the Author:
If you are a fisherman interested in learning 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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