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Cape Cod Canal Fishing Secrets
Fishing at night is a blast. Fishing Cape Cod at night is fun, and very productive. When you aren't catching during the day, try adjusting your sleep schedule and head out after dark. Put on your headlamp and be surprised at how different it is fishing for striped bass during the night, in particular Cape Cod Canal fishing.
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. 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 present you with a high probability at hooking up with a nice striped bass.
Big Striped Bass and Cape Cod Canal fishing
Some of the finest and most consistent Cape Cod 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 Cape Cod Canal's east end may very well be one of the most reliable producers of big striped bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore the most striking and extraordinary rip in the entire Cape Cod Canal. The rip rises dramatically off of the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The back-end of the rip then soars dramatically from the bottom, creating a duo of pronounced valleys that can hold striped bass when the current is flowing.
Large striped bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this time of the year. The striped 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 shore bound fisherman develops on an incoming tide, when the current is running east.
The rest of the Cape Cod Canal is littered with rips, gulleys, pockets and valleys which all hold big striped bass. The hard part is figuring out where they are and what tides deliver best at each Cape Cod Canal fishing location.
If you are a Cape Cod Canal fishing 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 find a gulley, you will see that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom. For instance, one of my most productive Cape Cod Canal fishing locations features 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 hole.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of excellent benefits for fishermen fishing Sandy Neck. The location is amazing, and it's one of the few shorelines left on Cape Cod where it is OK to drive on the sand.
The fishing can, at times, be downright awesome too. Luckily for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a significant population of striped 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 shore bound 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 striped bass gulping down our eels through the night. It would have been an impressive night of surf casting, 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 on its own is an impressive environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold small striped bass throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek lies Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn hump. At specific times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds large numbers of keeper size striped bass. Throughout the night these fish will frequently venture within casting range of anglers fishing East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective. Casting a live eel, or piece of bait into the creek, and allowing it to catch a free trip offshore is a productive way to fish a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the opening of the creek that bass are attracted 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 striped bass is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget about 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. 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 present you with a high probability at hooking up with a nice striped bass.
Big Striped Bass and Cape Cod Canal fishing
Some of the finest and most consistent Cape Cod 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 Cape Cod Canal's east end may very well be one of the most reliable producers of big striped bass during early July. Pip's Rip is furthermore the most striking and extraordinary rip in the entire Cape Cod Canal. The rip rises dramatically off of the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The back-end of the rip then soars dramatically from the bottom, creating a duo of pronounced valleys that can hold striped bass when the current is flowing.
Large striped bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this time of the year. The striped 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 shore bound fisherman develops on an incoming tide, when the current is running east.
The rest of the Cape Cod Canal is littered with rips, gulleys, pockets and valleys which all hold big striped bass. The hard part is figuring out where they are and what tides deliver best at each Cape Cod Canal fishing location.
If you are a Cape Cod Canal fishing 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 find a gulley, you will see that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom. For instance, one of my most productive Cape Cod Canal fishing locations features 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 hole.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of excellent benefits for fishermen fishing Sandy Neck. The location is amazing, and it's one of the few shorelines left on Cape Cod where it is OK to drive on the sand.
The fishing can, at times, be downright awesome too. Luckily for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a significant population of striped 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 shore bound 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 striped bass gulping down our eels through the night. It would have been an impressive night of surf casting, 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 on its own is an impressive environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold small striped bass throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek lies Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn hump. At specific times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds large numbers of keeper size striped bass. Throughout the night these fish will frequently venture within casting range of anglers fishing East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective. Casting a live eel, or piece of bait into the creek, and allowing it to catch a free trip offshore is a productive way to fish a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the opening of the creek that bass are attracted 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 striped bass is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, good luck and don't forget about your headlamp!
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 giant tuna and giant tuna.
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