There's something magical about a new moon on Cape Cod. The darkness wraps around you, the stars emerge in full glory, and somewhere out there, striped bass are prowling the shallows.
This past Wednesday, June 25th, I got to experience that magic alongside longtime My Fishing Cape Cod members Brad Whitman, his wife Beth, and son Alex – a trip that was over a year in the making.
The Long-Awaited Adventure
You know how it goes – you make plans, life happens, plans change. We originally scheduled this surf casting adventure for 2024, but as fate would have it, my wife Lauren was pregnant at the time. When our planned fishing date rolled around, I found myself on house arrest, unable to venture more than 10 or 15 minutes from home in case baby decided to make an early appearance. The stripers would have to wait.
But the fishing gods are patient, and they rewarded our patience this past week with conditions that any surf caster would kill for: a new moon, big tides, and the promise of adventure under a canopy of stars.
Quick note to anyone reading this hoping for a guided surfcasting trip – I apologize, but I just didn't have the bandwidth this year with the new addition to the family. However, I'm already dreaming about offering more guided adventures in 2026 and beyond, so stay tuned!
During this trip I was fishing with Brad and Beth Whitman, who've been members of My Fishing Cape Cod since 2020. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather! It was a perfect evening to fish the beach.
Why New Moon Nights Get Surf Casters Excited
If you've never fished a new moon, let me paint you a picture of why we get so fired up about these dark nights. First, there's the stealth factor – when it's pitch black out there, stripers are less likely to spot your leader or get spooked by your presence.
I also feel that stripers seem to gain confidence in the darkness. Schools that might stay in deeper water during daylight hours suddenly find the courage to venture into the shallows when the world goes dark. It's like they're different fish entirely – bolder, and more willing to chase down a well-presented lure.
Then there are the tides. New moons create significant tidal movements, and on June 25th, we hit the jackpot – the biggest high tide of the entire month. A massive volume of water would be rushing in and out of Cape Cod's beaches, bays, and harbors.
The Perfect Setup
We met at 7:30 PM under conditions that seemed almost too good to be true. The wind was dead calm – I'm talking glass-calm, not even a ripple disturbing the surface. We set off through the dunes as the sun painted the sky in those magical Cape Cod colors, walking toward our chosen stretch of coastline.
This wasn't just any random spot – it's an area that has produced consistently during this set of tides over the years. When you look at it during low tide, you can see why: a series of sandbars create deeper troughs and channels, mixed with weedy, rocky areas that scream "striper habitat." These deeper pockets act like holding areas where bass might school up, or cruise the shoreline looking for an easy meal.
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Reminds me of those flat calm black nights on the Miss Loretta. Glad that your crew experienced a very special time.