With Independence day weekend tapping at our door, it’s that time for determined striped bass anglers to transition into fishing in darkness. The weather’s getting hotter, the fish are beginning to settle into their warm weather haunts, and the bite is best, by far, at night.
Fishing Cape Cod from the shoreline during July and August can be daunting. The bulk of the striped bass population will likely be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things will get frustrating at times. However showing up in the right spots after dark will greatly maximize your chances of tying into one of the Cape’s summer season cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will give you a good chance at hooking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the best and most dependable canal fishing occurs during early July. This ribbon of water might appear devoid of life during daylight hours, however try not to be fooled-things get started once the sun sets.
Pip’s Rip at the canal’s east end may likely be the most dependable producer of big bass during early July. Pip’s Rip is additionally one of the most dramatic and extraordinary rips throughout the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically from the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating not one but two distinct valleys which may hold large stripers when the current is flowing.
Fishing Cape Cod from the shoreline during July and August can be daunting. The bulk of the striped bass population will likely be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things will get frustrating at times. However showing up in the right spots after dark will greatly maximize your chances of tying into one of the Cape’s summer season cow striped bass.
Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will give you a good chance at hooking up with a nice striped bass.
The Cape Cod Canal
Some of the best and most dependable canal fishing occurs during early July. This ribbon of water might appear devoid of life during daylight hours, however try not to be fooled-things get started once the sun sets.
Pip’s Rip at the canal’s east end may likely be the most dependable producer of big bass during early July. Pip’s Rip is additionally one of the most dramatic and extraordinary rips throughout the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically from the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating not one but two distinct valleys which may hold large stripers when the current is flowing.
Big stripers settle into the rip like clockwork during this period of the season. The bass will hold on each tide, so long as the current is moving. Hitting the rip from shore can be challenging from time to time. The preferred opportunity for the shorebound fisherman happens on an incoming tide, when the current is flowing east.
The remainder of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, holes and valleys that all accommodate stripers. The tricky part is working out where they are and what tides churn out best at each location.
If you are a canal rookie, trek the canal during the day when the current is really moving. Bring 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 night and fan cast the location with a heavy jig, maintaining track of how much time it takes the jig to hit bottom.
When you find a gulley, you will realize that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom. For example, one of my favored canal jiggingspots features an enormous gulley, encompassed on both sides by remarkable rock peaks. It will only take my four ounce jig 7 seconds to reach the top of the rock peaks, however it takes 15 seconds for it to reach the bottom part of the hole.
Sandy Neck Beach
There are a lot of great perks for fishermen fishing Sandy Neck. The location is beautiful, and it’s one of the few beaches left on Cape Cod where it is acceptable to drive on the sand.
The fishing can at times be downright amazing too. The good news is for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a large population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the “Parking Lot” and the “Fingers.” The schools offshore can, from time to time, be verylarge.
It is a real bonus for shorebound fishermen when these fish move in tight to the beach. This usually happens during late August and September, having said that it does, every so often, occur in July.
I remember being in merely 7 feet of water 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 gulping down our eels all night. It would have been an impressive night of surfcasting, had there been anyone fishing from the beach.
Scorton Creek
Scorton Creek flows straight into Cape Cod Bay, just to the west of Sandy Neck. The creek itself is an remarkable environment. Its upper reaches even hold schoolie striped bass throughout the winter.
Just offshore of the creek sits Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder ladenunderwater hill. At times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds substantial numbers of large striped bass. During the night time these fish will sometimes venture within casting range of fishermen casting East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.
I have found the outgoing tide at Scorton 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 an effective way to fish a bait. There are a handful of holes and gulleys at the opening of the creek that bass flock to.
The most important consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A strong current, mixed with darkness and invisible drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area is an absolute priority.
No bass is ever worth risking your life.
Tight lines, best of luck and don’t forget about your headlamp!
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