I think the fall run of striped bass has just started here on Cape Cod. If you were on the water yesterday, I bet you noticed that slight chill in the air around 6AM. I haven't had cool air like that in my lungs since May. The 48 degree oxygen made me feel alive, and let me know that the season's here on the Cape are changing.
I think the cold snap kick-started the striper fishing too. The other night I hooked a big fish in the surf, basically right at my feet. There's little doubt now that bigger stripers are abandoning their deep water haunts and starting to swim much closer to shore. If you want to catch a trophy striper with your feet planted firmly on the sand, then now is definitely the time start trying.
Where to Fish
This week I plan on hitting the Cape's beaches hard. I'll be fishing throughout this week in various locations from Plymouth to Provincetown. Yet all these spots will have one thing in common-some sort of subtle change that may or may not attract bass in close to shore.
Rock Jetties
Jetties for example, can be a good place to start.
Back in the old days I believe the Army Corp of Engineers constructed jetties to help prevent beach erosion. Whether the jetties actually work is up for debate, but they do make for nice casting platforms. Cape Cod's jetties are worth a look because:
- They can place an angler far offshore and increase the depth of water an angler can reach with a cast
- Sometimes bass will investigate a jetty for a quick meal of crabs, lobsters or whatever other bait is hiding around
- It''s a piece of structure and when you are fishing a barren beach, any piece of structure is a good piece of structure
Just be aware of the sharp barnacles that often cover these rocks...
Sand to Rock Transitions
If the bottom quickly changes in a particular area, then I think it warrants a cast. This is true with regards to undulations in depth or a transition from sand to rock. Remember that any sort of difference and change may be enough to bring a few nice bass in close to shore.
On certain outer Cape beaches for example, the bottom is mostly white sand for miles upon miles.
Then suddenly you may notice a section of beach where the bottom changes from sand to cobblestone.
These subtle changes in bottom are some of the best places to fish on Cape Cod.
Depth Changes
At high tide on a bright sunny day with polarized glasses you can scan a beachfront and see areas that are deeper than others. Sections of water that are dark blue in color are typically deeper than sections of water that are turquoise in color. Subtle depth changes are good places to fish as well.
Back during June my fishing buddy Andrew Massard and I found a nice depth change way out on the flats. We pitched live crabs into the depth change and were able to pull a couple surprisingly large bass out of the deep pool. This area was just a few feet deeper than the surrounding areas, yet that was enough to attract the bass.
Other times the depth change is a lot more drastic. If you are fishing an inlet, then there are going to be many drop offs and cuts that carve deep into the shoreline. If you are fishing Cape Cod's National Seashore then you may see the cuts between sandbars and the deeper pools carved out by the surf.
Inlets
Over the past few months we've talked quite a bit about fishing inlets here on Cape Cod. Even on the slowest days there are always at least a few fish kicking around inlets and estuaries. There's always some life around an inlet.
Some of the most beneficial articles and videos on this blog about fishing inlets include:
Locating Big Fish at Night in the Back Waters of Estuaries
Topwater Plugging Creek Mouths During the Outgoing Tide
I plan on fishing estuaries quite a bit during the next several weeks, so stay tuned for more reports and posts about fishing these areas.
This Week Fishing Cape Cod
For the remainder of this week I will be fishing the Cape's beaches during the darkest parts of the night. I do think that the first bass are starting to move south right now, based on my experiences over the past several years. I for one won't be waiting until October to cash in on some potentially fantastic surfcasting action.
I will have a report up on the blog about how things are going by Wednesday of this week. As always I'll keep you posted with the good and the bad. Until then I hope you have a phenomenal start to your week and I look forward to reading your own fishing reports in the My Fishing Cape Cod forum.
Tight lines and take care,
Ryan
What do you think? Leave us a comment below.
Ryan,
What was the date this article written?
Thanks,
Mark
Hey Mark, this article was originally published on August 26, 2013. LMK if I can help answer anything else. 🎣
I have not finished on the Cape in a long time. Is it true that now one needs a license to fish off of the jetty? When I was a kid, no one needed any license. Do they actually bust people for fishing off jetties without a license? Thank you. Red River beach was my old favorite in Harwich.
Hey Ryan,really like the info u send out,gave more of it to my buddy and he’s havn better luck,havn’t had much chance for myself,family and work unfortunatly come first! I love to fish with eels also this time of the year! Can u recommend any good beaches from plymouth to scusset beach? Usaually only fish scusset but lookn to expand
Hi Al – great to hear. Glad you are enjoying the posts and reports.
I hear you on the family and work coming first. Fishing usually has to take a back seat which is A-OK in most instances.
I’ll have a surf casting report coming out tomorrow. Did real well the other night so hopefully my story can help you find some honey holes of your own from the surf this fall.
The stretch of sand you mention is also one of my favorites. Surprised I’ve never bumped into you down there.
Talk soon!
There was a huge school of blues running about 6 miles straight east off the coast of chatham at about 100 ft depths. Hope this helps everyone a bit.
Thanks Frank – maybe there are some nice big tuna underneath those big blues.
What do I think? I think, again, that you have incredible talents in both angling and communications. Great job Ryan! Email me and give me some tips for fishing my back yard, the estuaries of East Falmouth… 😉 ~Dave
Hey David – thanks!
I’ll shoot you an email right now, although I have a feeling you may already know plenty about that area.
Talk soon!
Nice write-up … thanks … good info.
For the fall run, how is the southside of the Cape, particularly around West Dennis Beach and Bass River (historically)? Or should I focus on the Bay side of the Cape?
Hey Jeff,
I think the southside would be a good bet a bit later in the fall run. The water over there is still pretty warm at the moment.
Other areas of the Cape like the Bay side, where the water is cooler right now may be a better bet.
Hopefully we’ll get a good run of baby pogies this season. If that happens the beaches all over the Cape will fish very well throughout September and October.