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I have been fortunate to have fished Cape Cod Bay each May since I was around 6 years old. As a youngster, the month of May was a time to catch mackerel from the Scusset Beach jetty. I vividly recall epic mackerel bites while fishing from that jetty with my father. Now the month of May means one thing - the first big Cape Cod Bay striped bass of the season.
Each year it takes a little while longer for Cape Cod Bay striped bass fishing to get going, contrasted to early season hot spots like Vineyard and Nantucket Sound. Last year the Bay had keeper size striped bass by late April, yet that was most certainly the exception and not the norm. Generally speaking, mid-May is a much more sure-fire time to catch those first Cape Cod Bay keepers of the season.
Big bass enter Cape Cod Bay during the middle of May via two routes:
- Around the tip of Provincetown
- Or through the Cape Cod Canal
There are also bass that spend the winter in Cape Cod Bay's many estuaries and marshes. These fish meet up with the migratory stripers that filter in from the Atlantic Ocean and the Cape Cod Canal.
Fishing Cape Cod Bay during May
At around 600 square miles, Cape Cod Bay is one of the most expansive fishing spots on Cape Cod. Productive fishing spots are scattered throughout the Bay, from Provincetown to Plymouth, to the Canal over to Wellfleet. Said another way, the fish could really be anywhere.
Actually, Cape Cod Bay is such an abundant ecosystem that many species beside striped bass venture into the Bay during the month of May. Some of these species are fun to catch, while others are among the most endangered on the planet.
Just two weeks ago 20% of the world's Right Whale population was feeding inside Cape Cod Bay. A couple centuries ago Right Whales were hunted to near extinction. This species of whale floats when killed, making them the "right" whale to target for opportunistic whalers.
Yet despite teetering on the brink of extinction, nearly 100 Right Whales appeared inside Cape Cod Bay this May, which I think is absolutely incredible. I personally spotted 2 Right Whales feeding about 1/2 of a mile off the beach, in what I estimated to be less than 35 feet of water.
The below video was filmed by Bob Colbert, a family member of mine, off the coast of Plymouth.
These whales come to Cape Cod Bay because the Bay contains a plethora of food. Zooplankton and various other small organisms flourish in the Bay when the conditions are right. These small prey items don't just attract whales-they attract fish too.
Mackerel and sea herring are commonly found throughout Cape Cod Bay during the month of May. Mackerel in particular show up in strong numbers and can be caught in various locales from Plymouth to Provincetown.
Mackerel can be found all throughout the Bay, yet there are areas where they gather in greater densities. Of course these spots vary from trip to trip, so be prepared to search around a bit. As a general rule, most of the best mackerel action I find is consistently between 50 and 70 feet of water.
Bluefish will also show up later on in this month. The odds of encountering a Cape Cod Bay surface feeding frenzy improve dramatically once the blues arrive.
Yet the primary fixation of most Cape Cod Bay anglers this month will be the striped bass - and for good reason.
Cape Cod Bay Striped Bass Fishing
There are many ways to catch a bass in Cape Cod Bay during the month of May. However, I always figure you might as well use what's available, which means for me, mackerel is the go-to bait.
Whether dead or live, mackerel work wonders for stripers - especially the big ones. Aside from their effectiveness, I enjoy fishing with live mackerel because the surface strikes are often impressive.
As mentioned above, fishing with dead whole mackerel can be just as effective as the live stuff. The key is making sure your bait is super fresh. The effectiveness of frozen mackerel does not even start to compare with the effectiveness of dead, fresh mackerel caught earlier in the day.
Light tackle is the name of the game for this brand of fishing. You can of course do really well fishing with heavier conventional setups, but I see no reason to not fish with light spinning tackle - especially if the area you are fishing is free of rocks and debris.
This is exactly what were doing last year around this time, as you'll see in the below video.
As the month of May progresses, it is possible to find good top water action inside Cape Cod Bay. The stretch of water from Billingsgate up to Provincetown is a good area to search for birds and busting bass. These fish are likely feeding on mackerel, but they might also be feeding on Cape Cod Bay's abundant population of sand eels.
When you find bass feeding on sand eels, slender style plugs and soft plastics are the go-to lure. By the end of the May, some of these schools will contain fish in the 30 pound and up class. Needless to say these brutes can be quite the challenge on light tackle.
The tube and worm also starts to produce in Cape Cod Bay later this month. But we'll save tube and worming for another article at another time.
Cape Cod Bay Fishing Report May 13
So with all of this in mind I dragged my girlfriend Lauren out of bed yesterday at 4:30AM for a trip out on Cape Cod Bay. I've been hearing some good things with regards to the striped bass bite, so I was pretty pumped up to go. I'm not quite sure if I can say the same for Lauren!
Either way once Lauren caught a few mackerel I could see that she was having a good time. A perfect sunrise coupled with a sound strategy to put a few big bass in the boat doesn't hurt either.
We fished from 5:30AM until about 9AM and had a very productive, fun and exciting trip.
Based on her expression in the below video I think Lauren now understands why it is always 100% worth it to get up early when fishing Cape Cod Bay.
Hey Ryan – you’re becoming somewhat of a legend around Cape Cod. I enjoy this blog. I’m going boat fishing for the first time this weekend (4th July) and wanted to ask where you recommend we go? We’ll be launching into Buzzards Bay near the Canal but can travel where we need to (hopefully not too far). Any recommendations of where we can try? I read your post on Scorton that it wasn’t good in July. Any other ideas? Thanks Ryan!
Hi Anon,
LOL I’m not so sure about legend but thanks for the vote of confidence!
Glad to hear you are enjoying the blog. I hope the weather this week is perfect for your trip. We are due for some nice calm days.
I’m guessing you want to catch stripers? I know there are plenty of bluefish and probably still some good sea bass right where you’ll be launching.
For a chance at a big striper I would say your best bet would be to troll the deep water of Cape Cod Bay. There have been some nice fish caught on bunker spoons and tubes in 50-70 feet of water off Sandwich, Barnstable and Dennis. You may only get 1 or 2 bites, but odds are they will be 25 plus pounds.
What kind of gear are you working with? It might be best to shoot me an email via [email protected].
Thanks! and talk soon,
Ryan
Yeah, would be great to go for some cows. We have plenty of surf casting gear/lures (Canal stuff), and two trolling rods/conventional reels. We only have this one weekend on a friend’s boat so I don’t want to invest in too much just yet. I was planning on using our surf casting lures to troll, perhaps some Tsunami heavy shads / sluggos to troll the bottom, and maybe simultaneously trolling a SP minnow or Sebile Magic Swimmer on top? If we find birds/other boats, we’ll plug some poppers or use crippled herrings etc. Would you troll the bottom or use some topwater stuff too? Do you think this is the right approach? Thanks Ryan.
If you have it available, I would troll tube and worm on lead core line – or troll a weighted tube on mono or braid. Whatever you need to get the tube down to around 20-40 feet.
Another option would be to search for birds, however I think the surface action has probably cooled down a bit by now. Definitely keep your eyes peeled, but I just don’t think the surface action is as hot as it was say a month ago.
With the spinning equipment you have, you could vertical jig an area where you believe there are some fish around. Drop your jigs straight to the bottom and methodically raise and drop them off the bottom. I do this when I mark a school of bass that is holding snug to the bottom.
I got a report today that there are some good fish holding in the deep water off the edge of Billingsgate. It’s a big area, but there are some good ones in there if you can find them.
I hope that helps at least a bit. We’re really just scratching the surface here with this comment but hey it’s something! lol
Gluck,
Ryan
Thanks Ryan. I’m thinking about subscribing and will check it out. You have so much useful info. It’s great. Keep it up.
Ryan,
I just joined your blog and must say it is exellent. I am currently in the Bering Sea fishing (work) but am counting the days till I get home to go stripped bass fishing (play).
I fish from a 21 Seacat but really am not familiar with the rigs you are talking about. Is it possible to take pictures of your rigs for Makerel, Bass ect. so we can see how they are set up?
Thanks
Mike Reardon
Hi Mike,
That is great to hear. I am glad you are enjoying the blog and the membership.
What kind of fishing are you doing in the Bering Sea? That is incredible – I find that area and that fishing industry to be extremely interesting. I”d love to hear more about it.
Sounds like you are chomping at the bit to get back home and fish for fun, instead of for work. I can’t blame ya!
The rigs we use for mackerel are just like these here: http://www.hayabusa.co.jp/english/eproduct-sabiki1-1.html
I recommend using the ones that are at least 15 pound test. I’ll focus a bit more on taking photos of rigs over the next few weeks.
I hope that helps, and thanks for chiming in.
Stay safe,
Ryan