July 16 2013

Fishing Plymouth’s Rocky Coastline

4  comments

It was dark at 3:30 this morning in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The air was warm and dense, and there was not a hint of wind. I could tell it was going to be a perfectly sunny, and hot, summer day.

My plan was to fish Plymouth’s rocky coastline, an area which holds striped bass when other Cape Cod surf fishing spots dry up. The cool up welled waters of Cape Cod Bay lap against this boulder strewn coast, which appeals to fish, as well as people who don’t mind bone-numbing water.

Right now through October is the ideal time to fish this area. One of the best techniques is to cast live eels while wading from shore.

Around 4AM I arrived at a dirt parking lot, which would give me easy access to a mile long trail through the woods, which would eventually lead to the beach. The walk through dense woods in the dark was oddly eerie. I could hear animals stirring in the underbrush and I wondered just how many sets of eyeballs were on me, that I did not know about.

The dirt path bobbed and weaved through the woodlands, until I finally arrived at a small dune which marked the exit to the beach. I stepped out of the woods, onto the dune, and was greeted by slightly cooler air, chilled I assume, by the dark blue waters of Cape Cod Bay.

I stood there for a moment, as I often do, taking it all in. To the north of my position was a craggy coastline and a rocky point that sliced into the flat calm surface of the Bay. Behind me, to the west, lay expansive marshland and a pitch black forest, chock full of all sorts of life. To the south was a slightly sandier beach with small eroded cliffs. To the east was Cape Cod Bay, and the tip of Provincetown some 20 miles or so in the distance.

Once my moment of zen was finished, I reached down to lift my 5 gallon bucket of live eels, when I heard movement on the sand to my left. A shadow jumped out of the darkness and leaped down the beach, creating a heavy yet agile noise that I had heard before. I had spooked a large whitetail deer, which had been standing just yards away from me, and I watched with a moderately increased heart rate as the big doe leaped down the beach.

By now the sky was beginning to brighten and any striped bass in the vicinity would be preparing for the morning bite.

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  • Hi
    Just moved in across the street from Ellisville State Park and was wondering if there is any good flounder fishing off the surf,maybe by the spit?
    I’m retired and wanted to know if there is anywhere I can clam in the area. I know the estuary is closed to clamming?
    Thanks again
    Gerry

    • Hey Gerry,

      Congrats on the house! That is a beautiful little area to call home. You can definitely catch stripers from the spit at Ellisville, however I’m not so sure about flounder. You might need to take a boat out into 30ft of water to have a legit chance of flounder in the Ellisville area. There are also some tautog here and there around the rocks and boulders.

      Any sandbar between the canal and White Horse Beach will have nice big sea clams, which are great for making chowder and stuffed clams. I would recommend going at dead low tide. You can actually see the valves of the clams sticking up through the sand. Lobstering is also quite popular in that area.

      Gluck and have fun!

      • Hi Ryan
        Thank you for your response. I mentioned flounder because I grew up in the Weymouth and we often fished Quincy bay considered at that time the “flounder capitol of the world”
        I’m glad I retired here because I love fishing the East End of the canal. I’m retired now and have my canal bike all set up. I’ll be taking plenty of notes off where people fish during the changing tides.
        Thanks again
        Gerry

        • Sounds good Gerry. Yes I’ve heard of Quincy being called the flounder capitol of the world before. Capt. Jason Colby was actually a guest on this podcast this pqst year, and I believe he talked about flounder fishing in that area. I know he does a lot of trips out of Quincy.

          Keep me posted with how things are going for you this spring. We have a lot to look forward to! I’m happy to help. Tight lines ?

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