For some anglers, fishing is a solitary pursuit born of necessity rather than choice. Danielle Rea knows this reality well. Growing up in a Connecticut beach community with an avid fisherman father, she developed a lifelong passion for the sport, but as an adult, she often found herself fishing alone.
That changed when she discovered the My Fishing Cape Cod podcast about four or five years ago. "I came across the My Fishing Cape Cod podcast, and I joined—it's made me happy ever since," she explains.
What began as a membership has evolved into something much more valuable: a community of like-minded anglers, access to exciting offshore adventures, and the kind of shared fishing experiences that had been missing from her angling life. Her story is one of dedication, tradition, and the transformative power of finding your fishing tribe.
Please click play below to listen to our full interview with Danielle, or scroll down to access a written summary of our conversation. 🐟
From Local Waters to Offshore Adventures
For Danielle, fishing has always been a way of life. Growing up in a Connecticut beach community with an avid fisherman father, she developed a deep passion for the sport from an early age. While she had access to excellent fishing opportunities right in her backyard—including the nationally renowned Housatonic River—joining My Fishing Cape Cod (MFCC) opened up entirely new possibilities for her angling adventures.
Even after making the three-hour drive after a second-shift work day, Danielle's enthusiasm for the sport and the friendships she's made along the way shine through. During our 2024 Black Friday event Danielle purchased a lifetime membership to My Fishing Cape—and we are pumped to now have her as a member for life!
Though Danielle owns both a 14-foot aluminum boat and a fishing kayak for local waters, she discovered a particular fondness for offshore fishing through MFCC's group trips. She's participated in multiple excursions, including memorable tuna fishing experiences with Captain Cullen Lundholm of Cape Star Charters. On her first tuna trip, they hooked into three fish and successfully landed one—an experience she describes as "amazing" and one that sparked an annual tradition of booking at least one tuna trip each season.
Her group fishing adventures haven't been limited to tuna. Danielle has also enjoyed successful trips targeting black sea bass with her daughter and granddaughter, and she's ventured out with Captain Tyler Putney of Flatliner Charters, whom she describes as "a fun guy to fish with."
A Wealth of Local Knowledge
When fishing her home waters, Danielle employs some fascinating traditional techniques, including one particularly interesting method she learned from local old-timers: fishing with tapeworms for striped bass. These marine worms, which can grow up to two feet in length and display a distinctive pinkish-white coloration, have helped her land impressive stripers up to 45 inches in length.
"In the estuaries where I live in the flats, you can go out and dig them," she explains. The technique for using these worms is specific and methodical. Danielle rigs them with a lightweight sliding sinker, allowing the natural movement of the tide to carry the bait. She particularly focuses on fishing the outgoing tide in tributaries, where striped bass often gather to feed.
Danielle has never let being the only woman on a boat stop her from pursuing her passion. "Despite often being the only woman on trips, they've all been awesome men. Very polite. I couldn't ask for better crews to be with," she says of her experiences on MFCC group trips. Her story is a reminder that the water welcomes anyone willing to make the journey—and that the best fishing communities are built on shared passion, not gender.
The presentation is crucial—unlike with other baits, these tapeworms don't require complex rigging. Their natural undulating movement in the water creates an irresistible presentation for feeding stripers. Danielle positions herself near channels during the outgoing tide, where striped bass naturally congregate to ambush prey being swept out with the current. She allows the rigged tapeworm to drift naturally with the tide, occasionally adjusting the retrieve to mimic the movement of natural prey.
This traditional method, while less commonly known than using eels or other popular striper baits, has proven highly effective in Danielle's local waters. It's a testament to the value of local knowledge passed down through generations of anglers, showcasing how regional fishing techniques can often outperform more widely known methods.
Finding Community Through MFCC
One of the most valuable aspects of MFCC membership for Danielle has been the connection to a broader fishing community. As someone who often fishes alone in her local waters—her husband isn't into fishing, and her daughters, while interested, don't share her level of passion—she's found the group trips particularly rewarding.
"It's exciting to go with other people, like-minded people, and see the excitement that everyone has when we're all fishing together," she says. Despite often being the only woman on trips, Danielle emphasizes how welcoming the community has been: "They've all been awesome men. Very polite. I couldn't ask for better crews to be with."
Danielle Rea and fellow MFCC member Garry Aho with an impressive 92-inch giant bluefin tuna landed during a 2025 MFCC group trip. For Danielle, who often fishes solo in her Connecticut home waters, these offshore adventures with like-minded anglers have become the highlight of her fishing season. "It's exciting to go with other people, like-minded people, and see the excitement that everyone has when we're all fishing together," she says. Since her first tuna trip years ago, she's made it a tradition to book at least one offshore adventure each season—and moments like this are exactly why!
Looking Ahead to New Adventures
For this season, Danielle has set several fishing goals, including exploring the Cape Cod Canal for the first time, trying new fluke fishing techniques in her home waters, and continuing her offshore adventures. She's also interested in targeting pollock and participating in more group trips.
Her dedication to the sport is evident in her commitment to these trips—often driving three hours from Connecticut after working second shift, sometimes taking quick naps in her car to ensure she makes it on time for early morning departures.
The Value of MFCC Membership
When asked what she would tell others about MFCC, Danielle emphasizes its value for solo anglers looking to connect with others: "It's a great adventure for someone like me who has no one else to fish with. You get out there and you don't have to get a group of five or six people and pay all that money. Everybody pays their individual fee and you go out and you have a blast."
Danielle with a trophy king salmon caught at the Salmon River during summer 2025. Danielle's passion for fishing extends far beyond Cape Cod waters. Growing up with an avid fisherman father in Connecticut, she developed the kind of dedication that has her chasing fish wherever they swim—from her local estuaries to distant rivers, and everything in between.
Beyond the trips, she particularly values the educational aspects of membership, including the podcasts and weekly emails that have taught her new techniques and approaches to fishing. Her enthusiasm for the community is clear—she's already recommended MFCC to several coworkers in Connecticut and has committed to a lifetime membership herself.
As Danielle continues her fishing journey with MFCC, she carries with her the memories of fishing with her father while making new ones with her newfound fishing community. Her story exemplifies how MFCC can help anglers expand their horizons, learn new techniques, and find connection through a shared passion for fishing. 🎣
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