October 24 2014

Dowses Beach Fish Pier, Osterville

24  comments

garet suomala

This is a guest post written by MFCC contributor Garet Suomala

I went fishing at Dowses Beach with Ryan a couple weeks ago before work. We fished on the fish pier instead of the nearby jetty, because the pier is a flat surface, which is much safer for me, compared to the slippery rocks of the jetty.

The second reason I like fishing from a pier is because when we caught fish, it was much easier for me to take them off the hook. For example, my balance is not so good and it would not have been safe for me to try to unhook the fish while my feet were slipping all over the place.

Also, casting was much easier for me on the solid surface of the pier compared to the slippery surface of a jetty, or the rocks along the Cape Cod Canal. So I guess that's why I like fishing on piers and in this report I'll tell you more about fishing at the Dowses Beach fish pier.

dowses beach fish pier disability rock

Ryan and I squeezed in this trip before I went to my job at Project Forward, and it was a blast.

We used squid for bait and hoped to catch scup, sea bass and whatever else was swimming around.

A box of squid is all that's needed at Dowses to catch the many small fish which forage just off the pier.
A box of squid is all that's needed at Dowses to catch the many small fish which forage just off the pier.

A very small piece of squid, on a small hook with a 1 ounce sinker is what we used.

Ryan was the first to hook up with a "monster" scup.

scup super tiny small

Most of the bites happened when we cast the bait directly into the middle of the Centerville River. A 40 foot cast is all it took.

casting dowses beach

The fish were very small, but fun and easy to catch.

small scup dowses garet

I did see something that I never saw before.

One of the fish Ryan caught was a "Pufferfish".

Puffers are also referred to as swellfish, swell toad, balloonfish, bellowfish and globefish.
Puffers are also referred to as swellfish, swell toad, balloonfish, bellowfish and globefish.

And wouldn't you know it, when he reeled it in, the fish started to puff up, which was so cool to see.

puffer fish blown up expanded

The next fish we caught was a baby bluefish, or snapper.

Snapper blues are common in the rivers and bays of the Cape's southside during late summer and early fall.
Snapper blues are common in the rivers and bays of the Cape's southside during late summer and early fall.

The baby bluefish was cool to see because in my life I have only seen adult blues. The small bluefish reminded me of a fishing trip I took quite some time ago with some friends of mine at the time.

My family and some friends took a week long trip to Prudence Island.  Now if anyone does not know where that island is, it is a little bit of off the coast of Rhode Island. Also if you guys want you can Google it on the internet.

My Dad, brother and I were just driving pass some beach when we saw a lot of chop in the water, and we said to ourselves "lets check it out." So we did, and guess what we saw - BLUEFISH.

All I had at the time was my fresh water gear and the whole time I was fishing, I was scared my pole would break because of all the stress. All of the bluefish in the frenzy were a couple of feet long and it was very cool to see. They hit anything and everything that day, even if we threw a log in the water, they would of bitten it.

All in all I have never ever seen a feeding frenzy like I saw that day, and here I was now with Ryan, catching small bluefish which would someday grow into the big boys.

Garet, the author, fishing from Dowses Beach fish pier.
Garet, the author, fishing from Dowses Beach fish pier.

During this trip we just caught tiny fish, but it was a blast.

Small scup are probably the most common catch from this dock.
Small scup are probably the most common catch from this dock.
This "trophy" scup was the lunker of the day.
This "trophy" scup was the lunker of the day.

Watch the video Ryan created below to see and learn more about fishing at Dowses Beach fish pier.

Now some of you might say, "Is this your only fishing outing with Ryan?" and I would have to say no.

I have been fortunate enough to go out on Ryan's boat many times with his mom and dad (Ryan's mom Kathy makes the best pepperoni bread).

Ryan sure knows where to go for the Big Boys and I hope to go with him to Stellwagen Bank sometime for tuna, but he has told me it's a long trip.

Sill nothing beats a whopper on the end of the line. My longest striper, if i recall, was 45 inches.

One of Garet's largest bass to date.
One of Garet's largest bass to date.

Boy was that a heavy fish, but so fun to catch.

Take care,

Garet

What do you think? Let Garet know by commenting below.

About the author 

Garet Suomala

My name is Garet Suomala. I've had to overcome a lot of things in life, but I have a strong faith, and loving friends and family. I'm also a happy graduate of "Project Forward" at Cape Cod Community College.

  • Great post!! Sometimes the best fishing expierences come from just keeping it simple with friends. Nice Scup and I thought the puffer fish was a pretty cool edition!

  • Hi Ryan and Garet,
    That was an awesome fishing day. I felt the bite all the way out in Westfield, Ma. This is a great report!
    Capt. Dave

  • Great report Garet ! I did not know about that pier and will have to check it out ! Thanks so much and I am looking forward to reading more of your articles !!!

  • I visit that beach pretty much every weekend from spring to fall as I have a cottage a mile up the road. I often observe the people catching scup and will often look for Albie’s off the pier with my binocs. I will look for you next time I m down there hopefully we will bump into each other. Keep up the inspiring fishing. P.

  • Nice Garet it’s not about the size of the catch it’s about the fulfillment of the day by not dwelling on ones so called weakness. Well written by showing your face expressions says it all. Glenn

  • Garet, nice post….just had triple bypass surgery. You give me hope to come back strong n positve…hopefully with a little faith things will turn around and I will become a fishing fool again lol…regards Brian OConnell

  • awesome!! doesn’t matter what you catch – the chance to fish and have fun is the best! I was smiling through the whole story!!

  • {"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

    You may also like

    Springtime Fishing with Captain CullenFishing enthusiasts and angling aficionados, gather around as we dive into a comprehensive Zoom call crafted from a

    Read More

    Striped bass pretty unique creatures if you stop to think about it. What other fish species can be targeted in open water, up

    Read More
    >