Throughout Cape Cod there are certain beaches, creeks and estuaries that fish better during particular times of the season. One of the best early spring spots for schoolies and small keepers is Falmouth's Old Silver beach.
In the spring, the south side of Cape Cod and Buzzard's Bay experiences an influx of striped bass before Cape Cod Bay and points north. Many of the best shore bound spots are located in close proximity to bays, creeks and harbors. Focusing your striped bass fishing efforts in these areas can help get your striper season started on the right foot.
Conveniently Old Silver contains the grand slam of early season striped bass attractors. The beach has a herring run, an expanse of sand that transitions to a boulder strewn coast, followed to the north by a quiet back back bay harbor.
Ironically I never spend much time fishing around the herring run and the long stretches of sand surrounding the run. I am sure plenty of stripers frequent the area, however I like to concentrate my efforts around the boulder strewn coastline north of the herring run.
A fairly long walk is required to access these boulders, yet the walk is almost always worth the effort.
Tide is very important when fishing this area. The best tide is the two hours before, through the two hours after low tide. At this stage of the tide it is possible to wade around the rocks, casting top water plugs, rubbers and swimming plugs in amongst the boulders.
I seem to have the best success casting small yellow pencil poppers. Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping after a long cold winter better than a vicious top water attack from that first keeper striper of the year. Thus I always prefer top water plugs when fishing this area.
At the northernmost point of the beach is a rocky outcropping that separates Old Silver from a secluded and tranquil back bay. I like to position myself out on this rocky outcropping so that I can cast a plug into the channel entering the bay. If the wind isn't blowing too hard, it is often possible to reach the red nun buoy marking the southern edge of the channel.
Just be sure to keep close tabs on the tide when fishing the rocky outcropping. This is definitely not a spot where you want to push the limits with the tide.
I generally target striped bass at Old Silver in early to mid-May. Most of the bass are schoolies, however I have caught bass up to 36 inches in this area during early May. These bass put up a great fight, especially considering the extreme light tackle I generally use early in the season.
Occasionally small bluefish will make an appearance during early May at Old Silver. However if spring blues are your target, consider heading to more reliable bluefish hot spots such as South Cape beach in Mashpee.
Tight lines and good luck!
Captain Ryan
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