Yesterday I shared a video on the My Fishing Cape Cod Facebook page that caught the attention of a lot of people. The video (which you can watch below) was about the upcoming September full moon and how it may impact the fishing here on Cape Cod.
In this post I want to share you with my game plan for making the most of the upcoming September 8th full moon. At the end of this post I'd like to hear your game plan, questions thoughts and comments.
First Off, Here's What Happened During The August Full Moon
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of this post, here's the video I shared on Facebook.
That wasn't the only time I got lucky from shore during the August moon. A couple nights before I managed another healthy bass from the beach.
To read the written accounts for the above-mentioned surfcasting trips check out these reports:
But that's not all that happened.
The school bluefin tuna bite south of Martha's Vineyard caught fire in the weeks leading up to the August full moon. I fished with MFCC member Ari Goldschneider on August 8th, two days before the full moon, and we caught this little bluefin 10 minutes into the troll.
And then the striped bass bite in numerous Cape Cod hot spots turned on.
The commercial rod and reel bass guys finally began catching limits with some consistency. Even my Mom got in on the bite!
Remember That Crazy Canal Bite (And The Insane Crowds!) ?
Well that was happening right around the August moon as well. I suppose sometimes big tides = big fish.
My Game Plan For The September Full Moon
This evening I am going fishing for false albies with longtime friend Jeff Coates. We are starting to hear good reports of albies and I would not be surprised if the inshore funny fish action really heats up with the strong full moon tides.
Check back here on MFCC soon to see how we did with the false albacore.
My uncle Johnny is also coming to the Cape from New Hampshire next week with his 14 foot aluminum boat. If the weather cooperates I feel we'll have a rare chance of catching a really solid fish from his small boat, which has so far only seen freshwater action.
Or I may fish some protected coves and harbors via kayak where I've found stripers before under bright moons.
My first trip in the Hobie kayak happened last week. You can read about that expedition by clicking here if you'd like. I found fish but struck out with keeper-size bass.
Perhaps that'll all change during this next moon.
If you fish from a small boat and would like to discuss some options, then start a new thread about it in the MFCC forum. Use @Ryan Collins in the post (that'll send me an email notification) and I will be sure to help where I can.
Exploring Cape Cod's Beaches In The Moonlight
Full moons are great for exploring and fishing long stretches of lonely beach. There's virtually no need for a headlamp. The abundant moonlight makes it easy to get around.
My adventurous girlfriend Lauren (who publishes seafood recipes here on MFCC) and I are either going to hike up Mount Washington September 8-9 or spend 48 hours fishing and exploring Cape Cod's National Seashore.
Considering my 29th birthday is September 8th I get the feeling the fishing idea might take precedence! LOL
I feel those big bass that spend the summer offshore in places like Stellwagen Bank ought to begin migrating south along the Cape's backside beaches very soon. Perhaps these big full moon tides will jump start that migration.
I would love nothing more than to catch another big bass from a National Seashore beach, where peace and quiet, and undeveloped shoreline are abundant.
You gotta get lucky and work hard to find fish along the National Seashore but I'm up for the challenge.
We'll see how things turn out!
What Do You Think?
So what do you think about the upcoming full moon?
What's your game plan and how can I help?
Let me know by commenting below!
Tight lines and take care,
Ryan
It worked for me, keeper from shore, despite the howling wind ! I’m convinced.
Very nice Jane!
How big and how’d you catch it?