There's something magical about Provincetown that goes beyond just the fishing. Sure, the scenery is breathtaking, but it's the memories that keep drawing me back.
My love affair with P-town started back in 2015 during my first trip with Lincoln Brothers Fishing (sadly no longer operating). That day, my family and I hauled in over 30 stripers, all measuring between 30-50 inches.
My 5o inch striper that I caught on Ptown with Lincoln brothers fishing still stands as my personal best today and is the reason we come back every year!
One of the many big stripers I caught that day.
It was the kind of day that changes you as an angler – the kind that sets the bar impossibly high for every trip that follows.
Since then, we've made it our mission to get down to Provincetown at least a couple times every spring and summer, chasing that lightning-in-a-bottle experience.
And let me tell you – July 13th of 2025 did not disappoint!
And today on My Fishing Cape Cod I am excited to share the experience. I hope the following story gets you pumped up for the 2026 season which is now on the horizon.
The Early Morning Grind: 5:30 AM Launch
My father, my buddy Luke Mcnamee, and I rolled up to Kingman Marina in the pre-dawn darkness, launching at 5:30 AM sharp.
The plan was simple: get to P-town by 7:30 AM when the tide would start ripping. It's a decent haul from our home waters, but Provincetown is always worth the journey.
The trip out started in typical Cape fashion – we hit some dense fog in the east end of the canal, but thankfully it was starting to lift as we pushed through.
There's something eerily beautiful about navigating the canal in the fog, with just the sound of your engine and the anticipation of what lies ahead.
Dense fog blankets the east end of the Cape Cod Canal, reducing our visibility greatly. Luckily it soon disappeared.
Bait First: Mackerel Magic at the Canal
By 6:10 AM, we'd cleared the canal and immediately shifted focus to our first mission: catching live mackerel. The east end of the canal has never let us down for bait, and this day was no exception.
Our go-to spots are the 2nd and 3rd green cans out of the east end, plus we always work the lobster pot lines. Here's the key to mackerel success: it's all about finding the school. We rig up with a 2-ounce sinker on our sabiki rigs, drop to the bottom, and slowly jig our way up through different depths.
Pro tip: Keep your eyes glued to the fish finder, looking for those telltale little blue clouds and streaks in the water column – that's your mackerel highway right there.
Within 20 minutes, we had more mackerel than we knew what to do with. As a bonus, we even pulled up some hake – always cool to see different species on the end of your line.
Our large haul of mackerel was one of the keys to success.
The Main Event: Herring Cove to Race Point
The 30-minute run from the east end to P-town felt like Christmas morning as a kid. We decided to work the waters between Herring Cove and Race Point – a stretch that has consistently produced for us over the years.
While plenty of anglers find success past Race Point and on the backside, this particular zone has always been our golden ticket.
A map showcasing all of Provincetown. As said previously we fished along Herring Cove and Race Point. Credit to the National Park Service for the image.
Finding the Drop-Off: Where the Magic Happens
The secret sauce at Provincetown is fishing the drop-off. You can go from 140 feet of water to 20 feet in what feels like seconds. Our sweet spot was that 30-60 foot depth range, and when we found it, the fish finder lit up like a Christmas tree.
Dad and Luke immediately deployed live mackerel on circle hooks with our Saragosa 5000 reels paired with Hogy bait rods, while I went vertical with a Savage Sand Eel. It didn't take long – both of them hooked up on slot-size bass almost immediately, and I connected with a nice gator blue shortly after.
Luke with his first striper of the day.
My father also with his first striper of the day.
What happened next was something I'll never forget. We marked what had to be the biggest school of fish I've ever seen in my life.
For eight solid minutes, our fish finder screen stayed completely packed with marks. We pulled in bass after bass, mixed with some serious blues, all while that massive school held beneath us.
This is what our fish finder looked like for almost 10 minutes straight! Crazy!
Nothing better than being doubled up on some nice size stripers!
Luke with a nice 33 inch striper that hit a dead mackerel off the bottom.
The variety of successful techniques was impressive:
- Savage Sand Eels were producing steady action
- Dead mackerel were getting picked up regularly
- Live mackerel were absolutely crushing it (taking the majority of our fish)
Eventually, that monster school moved on, but we'd learned the pattern. The winning strategy became running the drop-off until we marked fish, then stopping the boat and dropping our live macks right into the mix.
Staying Away from the Crowds
While most of the fleet congregated around the tip of Race Point, we found our own piece of paradise along Herring Cove. Sometimes the best fishing happens when you're willing to explore beyond the obvious spots.
The fish were clearly locked onto sand eels – we could see thousands of them around the boat at all times – but those big bass couldn't resist the temptation of a lively mackerel.
My father and I hold up two beautiful stripers, but of course his is bigger than mine!
Luke with his 7th striper of the day!
By noon, the tide hit slack and we made the call to head in. Our final count: around 20 striped bass, all above or at slot size. While I didn't land that elusive 40+ incher I was hoping for, days like this remind you why Provincetown might just be the best striper spot on all of Cape Cod.
Why Provincetown is Special: The Versatility Factor
What makes P-town truly special is the sheer variety of fishing opportunities it offers:
Early Morning Blitzes: At first light, you'll often find birds working and fish blitzing on the surface – perfect for some heart-stopping topwater action.
Vertical Jigging: Perfect for when fish are holding tight to structure/deeper in the water column.
Live Lining: Nothing beats a live mackerel when bass get finicky about artificials.
Trolling Options: Many successful anglers work tube and worm, deep divers, and snap wire along the drop-off to cover water and locate schools.
Bonus Species: Monster blues provide incredible fights (though they do have a habit of cutting your mackerel in half), and you're close enough to the tuna grounds that bluefin sightings aren't uncommon. In fact, last year anglers reported bluefin actually stealing bluefish right off their lines!
The very beautiful Provincetown shoreline slowly disapears as we head back after a great day on Cape Cod bay.
Until Next Time
As we made the run home, salt-crusted and tired but grinning from ear to ear, I was already planning our next trip back. Provincetown has this way of getting into your blood – the combination of incredible fishing, stunning scenery, and the pure unpredictability of what each trip might bring.
If you haven't made the trip to P-town yet, you're missing out on what might be the best striper fishing Cape Cod has to offer. Just be warned: like me back in 2015, you might just fall in love with the place.
Tight lines and see you on the water in 2026! 🎣
Andrew Chen