Fishing Frenzy

Stripers can be hooked in a multitude of means. From fly fishing to jigging with wire, there is actually a strategy for anyone and for virtually every situation.

Although you won't ever hear me complaining about a striper on the end of my line, I will confess that I find specific techniques to be more fun than others. For example I'd personally prefer to target bass at night with eels, then drag 300 feet of wire in the midst of a late August heat wave.

Throughout the years I have met a lot of fishermen with different thoughts on what they think to be the most fun way to catch a large bass. I have heard a number of folks say live bait, trolling etc.; however the preferred method, undoubtedly, is casting top water plugs.

Top water plugging is very thrilling and addictive. The sight of a cow bass demolishing a lure on top is a picture not soon forgotten.

The Canal is one such place where anglers consistently intercept big fish on the surface-no boat necessary. Long casts is all that is needed.

In recent years at the Canal, the best top-water fishing has taken place through the spring. The action begins sometime round the middle of May and sometimes lasts right into early summer. During the beginning of the season, significant schools of stripers travel north to Cape Cod and beyond. These big schools take the very long journey around the outter arm of the Cape, or choose the shortcut through the "Big Ditch". For Cape Cod Canal fishermen, the more fish that choose the shortcut through the canal-the better.

Actually, it is common for a big time Canal blitz to take place two or three days after favourable fishing reports start flowing in from Buzz. Bay. In short, if you happen to hear of terrific fishing taking place somewhere out in Buzzard's Bay, it could be worth your while to travel to the canal a couple of days later-especially if the tides are right. Occasionally it's possible to "predict" with some accuracy, when the blitzes will occur.

A lot of folks will recognize that the end of the west tide, slack, and start of the east tide is the perfect tide for top-water fishing purposes.

Less H2O within the Canal is useful for several reasons. For starters it is a lot easier to locate a good casting spot that sports lots of open space ideal for casting. Landing fish from these places is generally much easier and less hazardous than landing striped bass at other spots during higher stages of the tide.

With a reduced amount of water in the Cape Cod Canal, the Canal is "skinnier." The yardage over water from one side of the Canal to the other is considerably less in comparison to the distance at high tide. Consequently stripers feeding in the middle of the canal tend to be more easily reached at low water than at high water. This is the best stage of the tide for topwater fishing.

Less water in the Cape Cod Canal entails that there is a higher possibility of fish pushing bait to the Canal's surface. There is literally less water for bait to swim to, which makes hunting easier for bass. The fishing in turn, becomes easier for the fishermen.

A number of Cape Cod Canal blitzes last well into the day, nevertheless your greatest bet for top water blitzes will transpire early in the morning. A good number of Cape Cod Canal sharpies will always keep a sharp eye on their tide tables, eagerly looking forward to "breaking tides." This is the term used to describe low water coinciding with dawn.

Choosing a productive top water plug can be an overwhelming challenge for the canal novice. Almost all bait shops around the Cape Cod Canal are fully stocked with every single plug imaginable. .

The most crucial topwater lure characteristics to keep in mind are cast-ability and action. I use plugs that cast far and "dance" on the Canal's surface. My favored Cape Cod Canal top-water fishing plug is a six inch wooden pencil popper. I find that pencil poppers cast well and solicit aggressive bass attacks when worked in a "walk-the-dog," back and forth fashion across the Canal's surface.

To achieve a little extra distance, contemplate adding weight to the tail end of the plug. . Keeping the tail segment of the plug packed with weight will significantly boost casting distance without eliminating the action of the pencil popper.

Plug color is not as significant as action or cast-ability. I think almost all plugs with extravagant paint jobs are designed towards appealing to anglers rather than fish. Keep in mind that stripers will only notice the bottom half (belly) of the plug anyways. As a result of the silhouette cast from the plug, I would be prepared to gamble that the majority of fish don't notice the elegant particulars of a plug's paint job.