A Last “Ditch” Effort

MFCC member
Chris Goguen

I have spent the better part of my free time in or around Cape Cod and its waters since I was a young boy.

From digging clams and quahogs to fishing for Tautog off rock jetties...I love this place. I have traveled a good part of this country, but the Cape is where I come back to for both peace and adventure.

This year I was fortunate enough to buy my first boat. Nothing big or fancy, but it got me in the water. It was time to seek new species of fish, and to learn techniques on how to get them on my line and in my boat. We weren't able to get out there as much as I would like (which would be every day, to be honest) but we certainly made use of the new gear and boat.

I would take anyone out there that was willing, including my girlfriend, daughter, cousin, and every friend who was willing and able. And we all had a blast, and caught fish!

More...

We landed a bounty of sea bass, fluke, scup, mackerel, and sand sharks!

But one species of fish, prized by most above all others, eluded me all season. It was the Striped Bass. I have caught them sporadically over the years from shore, but never a keeper.

I was bound and determined to catch one this season. I had the boat, the poles, the full tackle box, and scores of fishing reports. How could I fail?

We shifted gears away from the holes, ledges and rock piles that were producing sea bass and fluke and started targeting the heavier currents and deeper channels seeking stripers. We tried sand eels, jigs, chunk bait, mackerel, poppers, and swimmers....nothing.

The days were getting shorter and the water was cooling rapidly, and still nothing. It was a fantastic season for me, but I still wanted a bass. I didn't care if it was a 50 lb cow, or a small schoolie. I just wanted one.

So here we are at the tail end of October. My boat has been put away for the season, and I have to leave the area in a few days to go work in Louisiana. The stripers will be gone before I get back.

I had one last shot at stripers, so I decided to bundle up and hit the canal. My girlfriend and I put on every layer of clothes we had with us, grabbed a few rods and a small bag of plugs and hit the canal for sundown. It was low tide, so we climbed up and over the rock jetty, and hit the sandy edge of the water and began to throw plugs.

About 30 minutes before sundown, we watched 4 guys come down to the water, don waders and work a 2 man net through the shallows and up to the shore. I did't realize it at the time, but they were netting sand eels, A LOT of sand eels.

Once they had acquired their bait for the night, they began to cast into the current and let the eels drift along the edge of the current, and into the calmer waters closer to the shore. It wasn't long until they began to catch fish. Nothing big, but numerous. I watched them land roughly 15 stripers, one of which was a small keeper, in the matter of an hour.

They were really nice guys, even offering me bait to use, but I only brought plugs...no weight or hooks. So I continued to use what I brought, with no results. My girlfriend Kat and I watched the full moon come up over the horizon and paint the water purple, then we headed home.

I decided to get up early on Tuesday morning before sunrise and try one final time. This was it. The last shot. Kat, always the trooper, bundled up again against the cold and came along.

We hit the same spot, this time with my full array of tackle in tow. We didn't have eels, or the ability to catch any, but I did have some squid, which I would give a try. We carefully descended the slick rocks in the dark, and rigged up some squid and tossed it into the black swirling water.

There were a few other fishermen along the rocks, who gave me the bad news that it had been dead quiet all night. But I figured I was here, and I wanted to watch the sun rise my final day on the Cape.

The sun rose and colored the blue sky in yellows, oranges, and reds. Still no action. I had until about 9 am to fish before I had to head out, so I kept soaking squid, and began tossing plugs.

Several of the other guys had already packed it in. It was myself and 3 other fisherman when I noticed there was some activity along the rocks in the shallows to my left. Fish were breaking right next to the rocks in about 2-3' of water. This was it!

I figured they were again feeding on sand eels, so I grabbed a silver SP Minnow and began working the area. First cast....FISH ON! My line went taught after a handful of cranks and the fish began to work with the current to give me a good fight.

After a few minutes and a few moments of the sweet sweet sound of drag, the fish was on the shore. It wasn't huge, but it was what I was looking for...I finally caught my first striper of the season.

They were only breaking for about 10-15 minutes, but I was able to hook up and land 3 fish in 4 casts. One of them was a borderline keeper, but they all went back in the water to get bigger.

I had successfully targeted and caught them. And I was "hooked" harder than the fish ever were! I will see them again next season, armed with more knowledge and a renewed determination to see more of them on my line.

Next season we begin the dance again.

Best,

Chris​