June 12 2013

A Deadly Old School Striper Technique | June 12 Cape Cod Report

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I had trouble sleeping last night due to excitement and anticipation about this morning's fishing trip. During a trip earlier in the week I was fortunate enough to catch a good size keeper striper in waist deep water, and since then I haven't been able to shake the memory.

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I had to get back out there and give it another shot!

At this time of the season there are good size stripers in extremely shallow water throughout Cape Cod and the Islands. Catching fish in just a few feet of water is not uncommon at all, granted you time your trip around the tides, head to a fishy area and give the fish what they want.

cape cod striper underwater

Yet I knew I needed the right bait in order to cull through the small fish and target the big boys.

Casting soft plastics and jigs is a sure-fire way of catching skinny water stripers, yet for larger fish it is tough to beat the real deal. However, relying on finding live bait the morning of a fishing trip has bit me in the butt too many times to count, so last night I decided to make a bait run.

My goal was to find and catch as many "sandbar crabs" as possible before the skies began dumping rain. As I walked onto my chosen sandbar I looked to the horizon and could see a line of rapidly approaching rain clouds.

Time was not on my side if I wanted to stay dry.

cloudy fishing cape cod

I began wading out into the cool water, keeping my eyes peeled for movement along the bottom. Sandbar crabs (which is what I have always referred to them as) are easy to spot, granted sea conditions are relatively calm and clear.

When startled, the crab's first instinct is to scurry away and if need be, bury itself in the sand.

crabs for striper bait cape cod

Lunging and snapping with their claws is a last resort maneuver.

sandbar crabs cape cod

We'll dive into more detail about how you can find and catch these crabs for striper bait in the first session of the MFCC Podcast which will be airing this Friday-granted of course I get the technology working. Until then just understand that crabs make great bait for big bass.

Fortunately I was able to find and catch a dozen of these ferocious crustaceans just before the rain moved in.

fishing with crabs for stripers

I sorta felt like a little kid again as I splashed around in the shallows chasing crabs.

However these crabs would serve a purpose and this morning my buddy Andrew and I went to work with them. Our plan was to pitch these crustaceans into tidal pools for a shot at a big striped bass.

So after a night of very little sleep I picked up Andrew at 5AM to catch the last of the outgoing tide at one of my favorite Cape Cod honey holes.

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  • Next Saturday I am going fishing at mayflower beach I am going to try to trap eels and catch crabs but if I don’t catch anything what bait do you recommend I use and I wish I could I could go to cuttyhunk on that trip but I have hockey maybe we could meet up next weekend let me know but I would love to go fishing with you.

    • Fresh dead sand eels often work really well in that area Nolan. Fresh dead sea clams work real well too.

      If you have a sand eel rake you could rake sand eels from tidal pools at low tide. You can also find sea clams at low tide in 1-2 feet of water. You’ll see a black hole which is the sea clams filter, protruding from the sand.

      There will be more fishing opportunities for sure, especially during 2015. Happy you are interested in fishing with me!!!

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