Fishing Frenzy

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 shore during July and August is usually tough. The majority of the striped bass population will likely be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things can get frustrating on occasion. However hitting the right spots after dark will greatly enhance your chances of tying into one of the Cape's summertime cow striped bass.

Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will present you with a high probability at hooking up with a nice striped bass.

The Cape Cod Canal

Some of the best and most dependable canal fishing takes place during early July. This ribbon of water might seem devoid of life during daylight, however don't be fooled-things get going as soon as 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, pockets and valleys which all hold big fish. The hard part is figuring out where they are and what tides deliver best at each place.

If you are a canal 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 canal jigging 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.

Fishing Sandy Neck Beach

There are a lot of remarkable incentives for fishermen fishing Sandy Neck. The area is stunning, and it's one of the few beaches left on Cape Cod where it is legal to drive on the sand.

The fishing can be downright awesome as well. The good news is for Sandy Neck anglers, there exists a sizeable population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers." The schools offshore can, now and then, number in the hundreds.

It is a real treat for shorebound 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 remember being in just 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 impressive amounts of stripers slurping down our eels through the night. It would have been an unbelievable 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 on its own is an impressive environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold schoolie 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 stripers. 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. 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 important consideration when fishing the creek during the night is safety. A powerful current, mixed with darkness and hidden drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when fishing the area is an absolute necessity.

No striped bass is ever worth risking your life.

Tight lines, good luck and don't forget your headlamp!