With Fourth of July weekend tapping at our front door, it's about that time for serious striped bass anglers to transition into fishing during the night. The weather's getting hotter, the fish are beginning to settle into their summer time haunts, and the bite is better, without a doubt, at night.
Fishing Cape Cod from shore 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 could possibly get frustrating now and then. However hitting the right spots after dark will greatly boost your probability of tying into one of the Cape's summer time cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, after dark, will provide you with a high probability at linking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the best and most consistent canal fishing takes place during early July. This ribbon of water might seem devoid of life during sunlight hours, however do not be fooled-things get moving after the sun sets.
Pip's Rip at the canal's east end can be the most reliable producer of big bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore one of the most significant and outstanding rips throughout the entire canal. The rip rises sharply off of the bottom, then falls down into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating a pair of distinct valleys that will hold striped bass if the current is moving.
Big stripers settle down into the rip like clockwork during this period of the year. The stripers will hold on each tide, so long as the current is moving. Reaching the rip from shore can be hard on occasion. The best opportunity for the shorebound fisherman develops on an incoming tide, when the current is moving east.
The rest of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, holes and valleys that all hold stripers. The tricky part is working out exactly where they are and what tides produce best at each locale.
If you are a canal beginner, trek the canal during the day when the current is really cranking. Take along a pad and pencil and take notice of the pole numbers that correspond with rip water on the surface of the canal. Return during the nighttime and fan cast the location with a hefty jig, keeping track of just how long it takes the jig to hit bottom.
When you locate a gulley, you will see that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom. For example, one of my favorite canal jigging spots features an enormous hole, encompassed on both sides by extraordinary 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 part of the valley.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of fantastic perks for anglers fishing Sandy Neck. The place is amazing, and it's one of the few shorelines left on Cape Cod where it is acceptable to drive on the sand.
The fishing can at times be downright amazing too. Fortunately for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a substantial population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, every now and then, be very large.
It is a real treat for surfcasters when these fish move in close to the beachfront. This usually occurs throughout late August and September, having said that it does, every so often, occur in July.
I remember being in just 7 feet of h2o last summer off Sandy Neck, pitching eels from the Miss Loretta. We could hardly have been more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of bass slurping down our eels all night long. It could have been an impressive night of surfcasting, had there been anyone casting from the beach.
Scorton Creek
Scorton Creek flows straight into Cape Cod Bay, just to the west of Sandy Neck. The creek itself is a remarkable environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold schoolie stripers throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek sits Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder covered underwater hill. At certain times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds substantial numbers of keeper size striped bass. In darkness these fish will sometimes venture within casting range of anglers casting 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 piece of bait into the creek, and allowing it to catch a free trip offshore is an effective way to present a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the mouth of the creek that bass are attracted to.
The most important consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A strong current, along with darkness and hidden drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area is an absolute necessity.
No striper is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget about your headlamp!
Fishing Cape Cod from shore 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 could possibly get frustrating now and then. However hitting the right spots after dark will greatly boost your probability of tying into one of the Cape's summer time cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, after dark, will provide you with a high probability at linking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the best and most consistent canal fishing takes place during early July. This ribbon of water might seem devoid of life during sunlight hours, however do not be fooled-things get moving after the sun sets.
Pip's Rip at the canal's east end can be the most reliable producer of big bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore one of the most significant and outstanding rips throughout the entire canal. The rip rises sharply off of the bottom, then falls down into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating a pair of distinct valleys that will hold striped bass if the current is moving.
Big stripers settle down into the rip like clockwork during this period of the year. The stripers will hold on each tide, so long as the current is moving. Reaching the rip from shore can be hard on occasion. The best opportunity for the shorebound fisherman develops on an incoming tide, when the current is moving east.
The rest of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, holes and valleys that all hold stripers. The tricky part is working out exactly where they are and what tides produce best at each locale.
If you are a canal beginner, trek the canal during the day when the current is really cranking. Take along a pad and pencil and take notice of the pole numbers that correspond with rip water on the surface of the canal. Return during the nighttime and fan cast the location with a hefty jig, keeping track of just how long it takes the jig to hit bottom.
When you locate a gulley, you will see that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom. For example, one of my favorite canal jigging spots features an enormous hole, encompassed on both sides by extraordinary 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 part of the valley.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of fantastic perks for anglers fishing Sandy Neck. The place is amazing, and it's one of the few shorelines left on Cape Cod where it is acceptable to drive on the sand.
The fishing can at times be downright amazing too. Fortunately for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a substantial population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, every now and then, be very large.
It is a real treat for surfcasters when these fish move in close to the beachfront. This usually occurs throughout late August and September, having said that it does, every so often, occur in July.
I remember being in just 7 feet of h2o last summer off Sandy Neck, pitching eels from the Miss Loretta. We could hardly have been more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of bass slurping down our eels all night long. It could have been an impressive night of surfcasting, had there been anyone casting from the beach.
Scorton Creek
Scorton Creek flows straight into Cape Cod Bay, just to the west of Sandy Neck. The creek itself is a remarkable environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold schoolie stripers throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek sits Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder covered underwater hill. At certain times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds substantial numbers of keeper size striped bass. In darkness these fish will sometimes venture within casting range of anglers casting 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 piece of bait into the creek, and allowing it to catch a free trip offshore is an effective way to present a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the mouth of the creek that bass are attracted to.
The most important consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A strong current, along with darkness and hidden drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area is an absolute necessity.
No striper is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget about your headlamp!
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