Your Late-July Cape Cod Fishing Guide
Amy Wrightson from Sports Port in Hyannis, Massachusetts, provides us with a full rundown on where the striped bass, bluefish, and fluke are showing up around Cape — and exactly what anglers are using to catch them. With calmer weather windows opening up for boaters and steady action from shore, there's a lot to like about the fishing right now. Here's the full breakdown, species by species.
Striped Bass: Deep in Cape Cod Bay
If there's one clear takeaway from this week's report, it's that the bigger striped bass — slot-sized fish and larger — are holding deep. Amy noted that roughly eight out of every ten positive striper reports coming into the shop this week have originated from the Cape Cod Bay side, and the fish there have been consistently down in the water column rather than busting bait on top.
One of the best reports came from Nathan, who works at Sports Port, who fished yesterday with his grandfather Jerry out of Barnstable Harbor as far as Billingsgate. Using tube and worm, the pair boated numerous stripers, including one fish measuring over 40 inches.
Captain Ben Sussman reported similar success trolling deep-diving plugs — specifically X-Rap Magnums — in 50 to 70 feet of water, also out of Barnstable Harbor, landing a 44-inch fish along with several others over the slot limit within the past two days.
Not every report involved fishing deep, however. Captain Tyler McAllister, running out of the Sandwich Marina in search of tuna, stumbled onto acres of striped bass blitzing on the surface in the middle of Cape Cod Bay — slot fish and larger, thick enough that he described it as fish you could practically walk on. It was a rare early morning top-water spectacle this week in a season that has otherwise been defined by deeper, more subdued feeding behavior. Outside of Tyler's report, consistent top-water blitzes similar to years past have been hard to come by, even at hotspots like the Cape Cod Canal, where sporadic surface activity has been the norm rather than the rule.
That deep-water pattern has shaped what's working best in the bay this season. Amy said Sports Port has sold more X-Raps this year than in any previous season, as anglers work to get lures down to where the fish are holding. Tube and worm has also been a standout producer — rigged with fresh sea worms from the shop, fished on a very slow troll, and weighted (often with a roughly 2.5-ounce sinker in the tube head) to reach depth. Some anglers are pairing that with a trolling sinker ahead of the tube, or switching to lead core or wire line, to punch presentations even deeper into the water column.
Striped Bass Quick Hits
- Best area: Cape Cod Bay, particularly out of Barnstable Harbor and Sandwich Marina
- Depth: Most quality fish holding deep, roughly 50 to 70 feet of water
- Top producers: Tube and worm (slow-trolled, weighted with sea worms), X-Rap Magnums trolled as deep divers
- Watch for: Occasional surface blitzes, as reported a few miles off Sandwich, though consistent top-water feeds have been less common than in past seasons
Bluefish at the Brewster Flats
Bluefish have been a bit of a moving target on Cape Cod this season, with reports ping-ponging between locations rather than settling into a predictable pattern. The most recent news is a promising one: shore anglers fishing the Brewster Flats have been picking up bluefish right from the beach. The fish weren't of notable size, but the report marked a welcome change after a stretch where blues had been difficult to pin down. A handful of larger bluefish have also turned up sporadically on the south side, though without the kind of sustained, repeatable action anglers are hoping for.
For anyone planning to chase down that Brewster Flats bite — or run into a blitz elsewhere along the beach — top-water lures have been the go-to choice. Poppers have been producing well, and stick baits like SP Minnows and Joe Baggs have also been effective.
Bluefish generally aren't picky eaters, so lure selection matters less than it does with other species. One practical tip worth noting for anyone practicing catch and release: swapping out a lure's multiple treble hooks for a single hook at the tail makes releasing blues easier and safer for both angler and fish.
Bluefish Quick Hits
- Best area: Brewster Flats (shore), with sporadic larger fish reported on the south side
- Top producers: Top-water poppers, SP Minnows, Joe Baggs stick baits
- Tip: Swap treble hooks for a single tail hook to make catch and release easier
Fluke: A South Side Surprise From Shore
Fluke fishing has been one of the more unexpected bright spots of the season. While fluke are typically targeted from a boat, this year shore anglers along some of the south side beaches have found solid action right from the sand. Many of the fish caught have been undersized, but keepers have been mixed in regularly enough to make it worthwhile for anglers without boat access.
For fluke from the beach, the approach has been kept simple and effective: plain jig heads or bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp!, a scented soft plastic that has been producing consistently for shore anglers working the drop-offs and troughs along south-side beaches.
Fluke Quick Hits
- Best area: South side beaches (shore-based, though fish also available on the boat)
- Top producers: Plain jig heads or bucktail jigs tipped with Gulp!
- Note: Many fish are running short of the keeper size, but legal fish are mixed in
Freshwater and Beyond
Beyond the saltwater scene, Sport Port customers also highlighted some freshwater opportunities on the Cape's lakes and ponds, where largemouth bass fishing has picked up thanks to a new local bait. A Cape Cod-based tackle maker, The Bite Company, has been producing a soft plastic urchin-style bait called the Bite Bomb, which Sports Port has started stocking for largemouth anglers. Freshwater fishing on the Cape's kettle ponds is also a great low-pressure option for introducing a young angler to the sport, especially with kids home for summer break.
With bonito and false albacore reports still on the horizon and striper, bluefish, and fluke action all trending in the right direction, the next few weeks are shaping up to be some of the best of the season on Cape Cod.
Tight Lines & Take Care!🎣