At 6:30 a.m. on June 1st — a full moon morning — MFCC member Grant Stark and I were backing down the ramp at Bass River alongside Captain Tyler Putney of Flatliner Charters. The air was light, the water had a gentle chop, and Nantucket Sound stretched out in front of us quiet and silver in the early light.
Pre-dawn at Bass River — full moon morning, tide coming in, fish waiting.
Before we launched, we had a few minutes on the ramp chatting with Diogo of Gorilla Tactics Sportfishing and Captain Jimmy "The Greek" Koutalakis of On Time Charters — two guys who know these waters as well as anyone. Good omen to start a trip that way.
On our way out to the fishing grounds.
Tyler had timed the outing deliberately. The incoming tide would be flooding hard from west to east across Nantucket Sound all morning, and when you're targeting striped bass in the rips of the Sound, moving water isn't a preference — it's everything. Slack tide is dead time. We wanted current, and we were going to have plenty of it.
Handkerchief Shoal
Our destination was Handkerchief Shoal, off Monomoy Point. Handkerchief sits near the eastern end of Nantucket Sound, guarding the entrance to Pollock Rip Channel, roughly 4.5 miles south-southwest of Monomoy Point.
This is ancient, storied water. For centuries it was one of the most treacherous passages on the entire eastern seaboard — part of the busy coasting route between Boston and New York — so dangerous that a lightship was eventually moored here to guide vessels safely through. The shoal itself is pure sand: shifting, tide-scoured, perpetually alive with bait. It is exactly the kind of place a striper wants to be in June.
We found them immediately using Tyler's radar. Birds were working over the shoal when we arrived, wheeling and diving over pockets of fish that were visibly feeding on six-inch herring in the rips.
Tyler stemmed the tide expertly, holding the boat in front of the breaking water while Grant and I cast Monomoy Tackle Specter topwater plug and the MFCC Guppy Pencil Popper into and parallel to the rip, letting the current carry them naturally into the feeding zone.
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About the author
Being grateful is the answer.
Yes sir. Very happy Grant is doing well. Catching a few fish was fun too.
What a fabulous trip, Ryan! All your pictures really help tell the story. You and @Stark134 had a fabulous trip with Tyler @Flatliner charters! The squid have been amazing this June, both in Cape Cod Bay and off Monomoy. :squid: :fishing_pole:
It has been a very squiddy year to say the least! I caught a fish yesterday from shore in Plymouth that had a huge 15 plus inch squid in its belly. Seems like the squid are all over the Cape this year – both large and small squid.
Awesome read and an even better trip. Looking forward to getting on the water this week.
Thanks Chip. Hope you’ve been having a great season so far.
Thanks again for the memorable morning, Captain Tyler and Ryan. I really enjoyed fishing bishops and clerks for the first time. Definitely a sketchy area…
I love mornings like this and my smile continued throughout the day, even though I went to work straight after!
Thank you Grant. It was fun reconnecting! Hope that deck you are building came out well. It looked gorgeous in the photos you showed me!
Great read and super pictures. Fishing is heating up big time everywhere down the Cape. Get out there and bring a partner for safety. 2 is always better than 1 and 3 is the perfect Crew. Tight lines all.
Glad you enjoyed the report Dan. Won’t be long now until you’re out there catching tuna. Tight lines!