The 10 Most-Stunning Things I’ve Experienced While Fishing Cape Cod

Yesterday I took some friends from Minnesota out on my boat. We did some fishing and explored numerous sand bars, tidal pools and other areas that essentially feel like home to me.

The surprise, excitement and curiosity that this experience sparked in these people from Minnesota really struck me, and I realized that not many people get the opportunity to see and experience the side of Cape Cod that I often take for granted.

In this post I want to share with you 10 of the most-stunning things I have experienced while fishing Cape Cod, because I would like for more people to realize and understand just how incredible this environment truly is.

10)  The Day I Picked Up A Whale And Carried It Back To The Ocean

One day my Dad, friend Jason and I, beached our skiff at the edge of a sandbar off Barnstable. Our plan was to fish the tidal flats, but that all changed when one of us noticed a black hump on the sandbar far off in the distance.

We walked over to the black hump and to our amazement it was a baby pilot whale. The whale was high and dry in the sand but very much alive. Of course all 3 of us were utterly shocked!

Together we decided to lift the whale and carry it a few hundred yards to open water. Once we got the whale into the water it darted off with a powerful kick of its tail and disappeared into the ocean.

About an hour later we found another whale, this one a full grown adult, stranded on the beach. We were the first on sight, but soon there was a helicopter and a whole team of people, working together to push the whale back out to see.

I vividly remember the whale looking directly into my eyes, as I pushed on the great animals head. Finally with a huge beat of its tail the animal shot off into the ocean and vanished.

9)  The Feeling Of Being On A Different Planet I Get, Anytime I Walk Through The Dunes

Ancient glaciers formed Cape Cod thousands of years ago. As a result of this geological miracle, there are spectacular sand dunes scattered across Cape Cod.

Numerous nature trails weave into and out of these sand dunes, which at times tower above high in the sky. Anytime I venture into the dunes I feel as if I am on a different planet. Whenever I bring a newbie to these places, they too feel as if they are in a completely separate world.

To help share this cool experience with you I put together a video I shot using my GoPro camera and quadcopter. I feel this is as close as you can get, without actually being there.

If you'd like to walk through the dunes, then I would highly recommend visiting the Province Lands at the tip of Cape Cod in Provincetown.

8)  Stuffing Pogies In My Pants And Livelining Them To Bass In Just Inches Of Water

When I was a teenager I would spend the evenings sprinting up and down the beach chasing schools of stripers and bluefish as they chased pogies up onto the beach. The entire beach would sometimes appear to be moving, because a school of thousands of pogies had beached themselves in an effort to escape the jaws of marauding bass and blues.

Back then my fishing buddy Jason Mazzola and I would stuff as many pogies into our pants as possible, and then wade around in the water to provide them with fresh oxygen. We would then live line the pogies to the bass and bluefish which at the time were consistently holding offshore, sometimes in just inches of water.

I will always remember the feeling of dozens of pogies squirming around in my pants-as odd and unusual as that sounds.

7)  The Day We Caught A 700 Pound Tuna In The Miss Loretta

The night prior to catching this tuna was spent catching bluefish in Buzzard's Bay. We then transported the bluefish 60 miles to Stellwagen Bank, placed the bluefish under a kite, and was on with a 700 pound tuna within 10 minutes of having lines in the water.

2.5 hours later we harpooned the tuna and cleated it off to the side of the boat. The tuna was way too big to get into my 21 foot boat.

So we decided to drag the tuna for 5 hours back into Plymouth Bay where we were greeted by dozens upon dozens of onlookers and curious tourists.

Obviously that was one day I will never forget!

6)  Getting Pulled Into The Cape Cod Canal By My First Ever Keeper Striped Bass

I was fishing at a local pond for sunfish, again with Jason Mazzola, when my Dad showed up and said we immediately had to get down to the Canal. There was a huge blitz happening and there were basss everywhere.

I was 13 and had never caught a keeper striper before. I cast a Kastmaster lure out into the Canal and hooked up. My drag seized and the force of the fish, plus the strength of the current, yanked me from the rock on which I was standing and I face planted into the Canal.

With one hand on the rod I managed to get myself back onto my feet and back onto dry land. A crowd of curious onlookers developed behind me. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to burst through my chest.

Finally I landed the fish-my first keeper ever!

I suppose this is when the "fishing addiction" really got a hold of me...

5)  Landing My First-Ever Tuna After A 5 Hour Long Battle

To say I didn't know what I was getting myself into would of been a severe understatement. There was life all over the place and whales for as far as you could see.

I was trolling a soft plastic on the surface using a rod and reel that was terribly unmatched for the fish that was about to bite. Then it happened, my first ever tuna came throttling towards the surface and engulfed the soft plastic.

For the next 5 hours I fought this fish. At times the tuna would rip hundreds of yards of line from the reel. My arms were burning and my back was shot. I vowed to never again use tackle that was not beefy enough to properly fight and land a tuna.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we landed the fish.

I slept like a baby that night.

4)  Just About Everything I Experienced While Fishing From A 12 Foot Tin Boat

When I was a kid I was fortunate to have a 12 foot boat with a 6hp at my disposal. My Dad and I would take that thing everywhere. We experienced so many incredible things while fishing from this small boat including:

• Watching a giant bluefin tuna chase a hooked bluefish right up to the side of the 12 footer
• The day someone pushed our 12 foot boat out to sea, where it was later picked up by a fishing trawler 16 miles offshore. The amazing part is that the boat plug was not in the boat the entire time...somehow it managed to stay afloat.
• The day a Noreaster swept the 12 foot boat from the beach, pounded the crap out of it, and deposited the boat 3 miles down the shoreline. We later found the boat, patched her back up and used it for several more years.
• Taking the 12 foot boat 5 miles offshore chasing huge bluefish
• Approaching 20 foot long basking sharks in the boat
• Accidentally hooking a 300 pound ocean sunfish while casting from the 12 footer
• Catching 82 stripers in one evening of fishing from the 12 footer

The list goes on and on...

3)  Catching A 45.7 Pound Striped Bass On A Homemade Topwater Plug At The Cape Cod Canal

There was not a darn thing happening this particular morning at the Cape Cod Canal. Nevertheless I decided to take a cast and after popping the lure on the surface a few times, one of the largest gaping holes I've ever seen opened up underneath the plug as a 45 pound striper engulfed the lure.

The current was cranking and I was soon off to the races, meandering along the rip-rap chasing the fish and trying to not get spooled. After an intense battle and with my adrenaline pumping I was able to land the fish, which for me was quite huge.

And to think I almost didn't even go fishing this day!

2)  Anytime I Take Someone New Out Onto The Water

Over the past several years I have had the opportunity to bring many people out onto the water, who otherwise would never experience such a thing. I enjoy watching their reactions when we see a whale, encounter rough weather, get stuck in a lightning storm, catch a 10 foot shark, see a 400 pound tuna go airborne, or watch the ocean light up with phosphorescence on a pitch black night.

The comments these folks most often make include:

• "I never knew these animals existed"
• "I never knew these places existed"
• "I've lived here for 30 years and have never seen anything like this before"
• "Is this really happening?"
• "How do more people not know about this?"
• "Why have I never explored this area before?"
• "I need to call the wife and tell her about this right now."
• And many more similiar comments....

I guess the bottom line is that I am consistently amazed at how many people live here on Cape Cod, or visit here regularly, and have never witnessed the amazing things that routinely occur out on the water.

For example, did you know at certain times of the year you can sit in your car and watch whales breach? That is correct - you sometimes don't even need a boat to go whale watching on Cape Cod.

1)  Being Enveloped By The Most Precious Asset Cape Cod Has To Offer

In my opinion, Cape Cod's #1 most valuable asset is it's environment. Some folks may come here to play mini-golf, which is perfectly fine, but the main thing which makes this place so special is its perfectly unique natural environment.

Whenever I leave the developed areas of Cape Cod and venture into the remaining tracts of wilderness, I return feeling refreshed and with a clear mind and sense of purpose of what my life is all about.

The #1 most-stunning thing I experience while fishing on Cape Cod is it's environment. Here's some examples:

I could go on and on, posting the videos and photos of all the beautiful places to explore throughout Cape Cod & the Islands.

I could not more highly recommend that you make time to get out there and check out these places on your own.

What do you think? What's the most stunning thing you've ever seen? Let me know by commenting below.

Tight lines and take care,

Ryan