Ryan Collins

The much talked about "fall run" is certainly underway here on Cape Cod.

Yesterday I was fortunate to encounter stellar surfcasting despite very windy, and very rough conditions.

I had an entire crew of great people with me yesterday including my friend Dave Steeves from the Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans, and my drone-flying friend Zach Lesinski from 2020skysight.com.

Ryan Collins

This past weekend I spent two nights surfcasting a specific type of area I feel is one of the most reliable places to find fish on Cape Cod.

On Friday night I fished with MFCC intern Andrew Burke and MFCC podcast host Kevin Collins.

On Saturday night I headed back to the same general area by myself. Final tally for me this weekend was about a dozen bass up to 35 inches. I did lose one fish about twenty feet from shore which was probably 40 inches.

Ryan Collins

After much trial and tribulation I was finally able to catch my first "keeper" striper on the fly rod. It was a terrific experience!

This coming week I hope to catch a serious striper on the fly. I know a few spots where quality 25+ pound fish are stacking up close to shore.

The rest of this post will recap my latest experience fly fishing for striped bass on Cape Cod, as well as update you on what I am finding right now, and what I hope to find this weekend.

Ryan Collins

When I was growing up, my father and I fished "blind"without sonar and GPS. We used very basic equipment and fished from a 12 foot boat powered by a 6 horsepower engine. 

We found fish by paying attention to the wind, tide and past experiences. Instinct, determination and sheer luck also played a major role.

Since that time, catching fish from boats has become much easier. Now my father and I fish from a 21 foot fiberglass boat powered by a 150 horsepower engine, with sidescan sonar and a top of the line GPS. 

My boat fishing success is now more reliant upon my ability to use my electronics, than my understanding of the winds and tides. This realization hit me like a bag of bricks when my friend Noah and I went handlining in Costa Rica.

Andrew Burke

I stepped outside around 8am and was greeted by a pleasantly cool morning. Instead of fishing, I felt like taking a beach day to enjoy the nice weather.

I quickly loaded up my car in an effort to beat the crowds that fill the backside beaches of the lower cape during peak summer months.

However, I had a feeling I should pack my go-to surf setup, a 9’ St. Croix Mojo Surf rod equipped with a Van Staal VS200X reel.

Typically if I’m just keeping a rod in my car for a sudden daytime blitz, it’ll be a lightweight 7 footer for convenience sake. However I had just purchased my new Van Staal from Goose Hummock a week earlier, and since have been fishing it every chance I get!

Ryan Collins

This adventure with my future wife Lauren began on the morning of Saturday, July 16th.

However, before any fishing would take place, I had promised Lauren we would take care of some items she has been wanting to cross off her to-do list.​

So with that in mind, we woke up bright and early to wish my Mom a happy 65th birthday, before departing to Hokum Rock Farm in Dennis to pick blueberries.

Ryan Collins

The Cape Cod Canal is probably the most unique place to fish in all of New England.

Where else can you cast into 60 feet of water while standing on dry land? Not to mention the incredibly strong current and unforgiving bottom.

If you fish the Canal using the same equipment you would use when fishing from the beach or from your boat, then you are setting yourself up for failure.

To fish the Canal effectively you really need to have a rod and reel (plus other equipment) which is specifically designed for fishing the Big Ditch.

Ryan Collins

Martha's Vineyard lost a beloved fisherman last week on Monday June 20th.

Luke Gurney died doing what he loved, fishing in the waters off the Vineyard onboard his 42 foot boat.

After hearing about what happened, MFCC member John Camara and I thought it would be nice if MFCC helped to support the fundraising effort for Luke's wife and two young sons.

Ryan Collins

This adventure began with a visit to Dave Steeves of Goose Hummock, to get rigged up with saltwater fly fishing equipment.

Dave has more than 20 years of experience fly fishing the waters around Cape Cod, and is definitely the "go to guy" for fly fishing the Cape.

I needed a setup that could handle a 30 pound striped bass. Even though I have never fly fished before in my life, I feel catching a 30 pounder to be a challenging (but attainable) goal for me.