Ryan Collins
This past weekend felt more like April than February!
With such warm temps, I decided to get outside and try yet again for the elusive holdover striped bass.
So far this winter I am yet to catch a holdover striper on Cape Cod, but I am certainly not giving up.
I felt pretty confident as I began the hike through the dunes and into the marsh.
At the very least I viewed this trip as "recon" with the hopes of discovering a new area to fish once migratory stripers arrive this spring.
More...
Sunday
This trip began Sunday afternoon with my brand new fiancé Lauren and a 4 month old shitzu puppy named Teddy, who we were dog-sitting for friends.
It was quite the crew!
I kept saying to Lauren how incredible the weather was. Seriously though, when is the last time you remember 60 degree temps in February?
Quite a bit different than last winter!
Lets hope these mild temps stick around for a little while longer, and perhaps the "spring run" will begin a few weeks early.
Bass Are Out There
Despite my recent lack of holdover striper success, I do know some fish are being caught.
For example, last week I had the opportunity to speak about my 27 mile surfcasting trek at the Massachusetts Striped Bass Association.
Thanks again to MSBA and to the MFCC members who attended the talk.
While at MSBA I received first-hand intel about holdovers being caught at locations both on and off-Cape Cod.
I know the fish are out there - I just have to find them.
Lauren, Teddy and I continued walking to a promising-looking spot I had found using Google Earth.
For every one step Lauren and I made, Teddy had to make about a dozen...
I didn't mind the slower than usual pace, because what I enjoy most about these holdover striper excursions is the "exploring component."
I have been fishing the Cape since I was 5 years old, so you might think I have fished everywhere.
However, I get the sense I could spend my entire life fishing the Cape, and still not visit every nook and cranny.
There are so many new areas to see and fish.
Good Bass Potential
4 month old Teddy reached his limit about a mile into the trek. He was happy but obviously tired.
We decided it would be best for Lauren to take Teddy back to the car.
I would continue on and Lauren and Teddy would return to pick me up after dark.
We said our goodbyes and I continued walking. I picked up the pace because I was eager to see the spot which I had located on Google Earth.
Twenty minutes later and I had arrived. As far as I could tell, I was the only human for miles.
Nice work! Keep plugging away and I am sure you will find some fish soon. Let’s hope this winter stays mild and we end up with an early spring run!
I am definitely not giving up! Thanks for the encouragement.
I smell an early spring run…
I heard weweantic river bridge rt6 Wareham is one of the earliest spring spots for not just schoolies but keeper bass . 5 years ago I witnessed last weekend in march someone with a 30 inch striper on his boat . If you like traveling around some .
Good tip Mark!
I fished there in high school and had several phenomenal mid-April trips (20+ fish per outing) however I have not experienced action like that since.
Most of the fish I caught were real tiny.
The more i read , i tell ya the anticipation is killing me.So far this winter has been freakishly warm,with a couple of cold blasts. I know that it’s only the first week of february, but regardless how the work week goes,i always look forward to checking this great website. The mfcc is certainly looking like one big fishing family. Thanks Ryan, and the rest of the mfcc.Tight Lines…..Sooner than Later
Pumped to hear you are enjoying MFCC Charles! 2016 ought to be a great season.
I am going to be sending out an email sometime soon about the group fishing trips which will be happening Fridays during May and June.
Be great to see you at one of those trips if things work out! Stay warm … spring is coming.
Ryan
Another great write up about the total fishing experience on Cape Cod. When I travel to other parts of the country and see the massive condos built along the coastal waters, it is good to know that we can come back to the Cape and still have free and open access to some incredible places and fishing. Even if we don’t always catch sometime, we still get to do what many can’t.
best regards
Richard
So true Richard. We do certainly have miles of coastline to freely explore and fish here on Cape.
With the burgeoning Massachusetts population, I certainly do not take it for granted! Finding accessible places to fish in Boston or along the North Shore is much more challenging.
One of the places I have found holdovers in the past is in Meetinghouse Pond near the town launch ramp off Barley Neck Road in Orleans. After leaving the launch ramp head towards Nauset Marine East and you will soon come to a navigational buoy. Try slowly drifting from that buoy to the boatyard with small white bucktails and you may be surprised at what you find!
That is a great tip Mark, thank you for sharing!
Mark,i see your post was at3:44 in the morning. Where you getting ready to check out meetinghouse pond .Just curious. Chuck in orleans.
Anytime you can get out and explore the Cape is a blessing…..a holdover would be an even bigger blessing
Well said
Hay, great to hear there’s a few fish around! I just saw that Phil has predicted an early spring so fingers crossed lol. Any idea what else might be chasing those minnows? are there other predators in those areas other then schoolies?
I saw another fish rise today on the surface when I was out there exploring. Still no hookups but there is life for sure.
Aside from a schoolie bass I suppose there might be white perch … but that is really just a guess.