10 Reasons Why September Is My Favorite Month For Fishing Cape Cod

September is a special month for fishing on Cape Cod. The seasons begin to change and in many areas, the fishing begins to improve.

September is the start of my favorite time of the year. I feel an exciting energy permeating through me.

Call me crazy but I love September, and here's why.

1)  Calm Conditions, Cool Mornings & Elbow Room

The best part of September is that there's a lot more elbow room out there on the beach or boat. Once Labor Day passes things on Cape start to slow down, and popular fishing spots become less crowded.

I feel that late summer also produces more glass calm days than any other time of the year. Light and variable winds, and soft seas, is a dream come true for boat fishermen.

The mornings are cooler as well, and I feel that fish bite better when the air feels refreshing. You just can't beat a flat calm cool morning.

Peace and quiet is the name of the game.

2)  Bluefin Tuna Come Within Reach

500 + pound bluefin tuna do not come within reach of small boats very often. I am talking 19 foot Carolina Skiff type boats that usually stick within a mile or two of the beach.

Many serious Cape Cod tuna fishermen go all the way to George's Bank (150 miles east of Cape Cod) to fish for bluefin tuna. So when a tuna pops up in 15 feet of water, people get excited and rightfully so.

I feel that something special happens during September. Tuna of all shapes and sizes, for whatever reason, come closer to shore.

This of course is just my personal experience.

What I can say is that in my 38 years on this planet, I have seen more tuna within reach of small boats during September and October, than at other times of the year.

You can talk to guys who have been fishing the Canal for decades, and they'll tell you the same exact thing. Tuna show up close to shore during September, and sometimes come even inside the Cape Cod Canal.

While I feel that most Canal tuna sightings are actually breaching ocean sunfish (mola-molas), there's no doubt in my mind that tuna do swim into the Big Ditch during late summer and early fall.

3)  Big Striped Bass Charge The Coastline

Generally speaking, most striped bass spend the summer in deep water. These places are well out of the reach of surfcasters.

During September this deep water holding pattern starts to change. Maybe it's just me, but I typically start experiencing much better success from the beach once September rolls around.

I think that Cape Cod's beaches become much more appealing to big striped bass during September. Perhaps there's just more food in close or maybe it's just what stripers do before they start migrating south.

Whatever the reason, I feel you'll have a much better chance of catching a cow from shore starting in September and continuing into October.

Plugs, eels and chunk bait all work well.

4)  The "Funny Fish" Finally Arrive

All my life I've been primarily a striper guy, but that changed once I started this blog.

Bonito and False Albies have become two of my favorite fish to catch. The odd chance of a Spanish mackerel makes things even more exciting. Plus the action with these fish is typically the best during September, although in recent years they seem to be arrive earlier and staying later. 

Buzzard's Bay, Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound are excellent places to look for funny fish. They'll often come within reach of shore along the southside beaches and inside the Cape Cod Canal. 

During 2023 albies even infiltrated Cape Cod Bay and were see off Sandwich, Barnstable, Dennis and even as far north as Marshfield!

These fish can be super finicky and are capable of driving anglers bonkers. Just watch a fleet of boats as they chase breaking fish and you'll see what I mean.

5)  You Never Know What You May See...

Each September I hear about (and sometimes see) great white sharks, breaching ocean sunfish, porpoise, whales and countless other marine mammals.

One time I even encountered a manatee off Craigville Beach in Barnstable! 

Late summer brings some exotic creatures to our neck of the Atlantic Ocean and you never know what you may see. During September on Cape Cod you have a chance of encountering:

• Sharks of all shapes and sizes
• Different species of whales, dolphins, seals and various other marine mammals
• "Tropical" fish like mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna and marlin
• Maybe another sailfish in the Cape Cod Canal
• The list is endless!

Remember that time you carried a baby whale stuck in a tidal pool back to open ocean, and then tried to save its frantic mother as a helicopter flew above your head?

That's the sort of thing you see happen in September! 👇

6)  Being Outside And Exploring In Nature

The aspect of fishing Cape Cod which I enjoy the most, is the exploration component. I enjoy being outside with nature, exploring new areas and discovering new things.

It's tough for me to explore the Cape during the summer busy season. Yet in September the craziness starts to settle down and the beaches, trails, bays, harbors and estuaries open up.

There are still plenty of "wild" places to explore on Cape Cod. I love the peace and quiet, stunning vistas and undeveloped natural landscapes that still exist here on Cape.

Watch the video below, which I filmed using a quadcopter and GoPro camera, to get a sense of what I mean. This isn't my greatest drone work, because it's actually the first drone video I ever filmed! I just figured I would share it. 

Featured here are the dunes of Sandy Neck Beach in Barnstable, ableit during the winter months. Take it from me the place is gorgeous and a great place to go for a walk during September.

It sounds ironic, but my best work is done while in the midst of nature. What exactly do I mean by that?

Well, often times my best ideas flow to me when I am smack dab in an environment like this one...

Another cool thing happens, when things I thought were problems, mysteriously melt away with the setting of the sun over the ocean.

Then when I re-enter society, I feel refreshed and rejuvenated, inspired to pursue whatever I want in life.

7)  Migrating Bass Enter The Cape Cod Canal

During September schools of striped bass bunch up in preparation of their southward migration. If Canal addicts are lucky, some of these schools of fish will use the Canal as a "shortcut south" as opposed to making the longer trek around the arm of Cape Cod.

Some years the Canal fishing during September and October is great. Other years not so much. It all just depends on what the fish decide to do.

Last year I stumbled across a school of bass like the one pictured below, outside the East End of the Canal during late September. The fish were all bunched up and would not bite a darn thing.

Several hours later the fish disappeared and an hour after that I heard about a huge blitz happening in the Canal. The next day there was an epic bite in upper Buzzard's Bay and then 48 hours later another epic bite further south in Buzzard's Bay.

Then everything went dead for several days until the next batch of fish moved in. I think that's the sort of thing that is typical of September, and fall fishing in general, at least in our neck of the woods.

8)  The September 8th Harvest Moon

I love being on the beach or on the water under a very bright and full moon that's shining high in the sky. If the sky is clear I won't even need a headlamp to tie a knot.

The moon can be so bright that it'll feel more like daytime than nighttime, whether you're on the beach or on the water.

I really enjoy fishing under the light of a full moon. You can move around with ease and see for great distances without a light.

I've spent full moon nights on the beach where I could of played a full game of wiffle ball by moonlight without any trouble!

The full moon also gets the tides cranking. There will be more current and greater tides than typical. In many instances I feel this gets the fish moving and excited to feed.

About a decade ago I found some really nice bass during this moon (watch below). Why a decade ago? Because I just feel like sharing some old school content from the archives of MFCC.

It's the memory of nights like the one above that help me get through the cold New England winters.

9)  It's My Birthday

LOL - it actually is though. I am turning 39 on September 8th which is nuts!

What do you think? What are you fishing plans for this September? Please let me know by commenting below.

Tight lines and take care 🎣

Ryan