A Quick Guide To Striper Fishing Buzzard’s Bay From Shore

I enjoy striper fishing Buzzard's Bay from shore because the area is so diverse. Depending on the location you may be fishing around huge boulders, channels, inlets, sand bars or estuaries.

Needless to say Buzzard's Bay has many cool striper surfcasting opportunities. In this post I am going to do my best to provide you with an effective and quick guide to striper fishing Buzzard's Bay from shore.

 Best Lures For Surfcasting Buzzard's Bay

I have used live bait on several occasions when striper fishing in Buzzard's Bay, however most of my efforts have been with artificial lures. I tend to surfcast Buzzard's Bay most often during the spring, so I tend to gravitate towards using lures that work the surface. There's nothing better than seeing a big bass whack a topwater offering after a long cold winter!

Some of the most effective lures for catching stripers from shore throughout Buzzard's Bay include:

• Cotton Cordell 6 inch Pencil Popper
• Sebile 9 inch Slow Sink Magic Swimmer
• 6 - 9 inch Unweighted Black Slug-go's

All these lures work the upper portion of the water column. This is perfect for the shallow water situations I most often encounter when surfcasting Buzzard's Bay.

The most effective retrieve for the Cotton Cordell is to "walk the dog" which makes the cordell zig-zag from right to left. The easiest way to impart this action is to keep the rod tip high in the sky, and pump the rod in a moderate rhythmic fashion.

Retrieving the Sebile Magic Swimmer is very easy and simple, as the lure does the majority of the work for you. All you need to do is cast out the Magic Swimmer and retrieve it at a moderate pace. The swimmer will wiggle through the water in a deadly fashion and impart all the action necessary to attract striped bass.

Out of the above mentioned lures, fishing the Slug-go effectively requires the most finesse and skill. I like to retrieve the Slug-go with my rod held parallel to the water's surface. I then reel and pump the rod in slow consistent fashion. The zig-zag action is similar to the Cotten Cordell, just significantly slower.

A Simple Way To Find Stripers In Buzzard's Bay

Buzzard's Bay is a very expansive saltwater area. Locating a good place to fish from shore can be really intimidating. With all this coastline where is one to begin?

If you are just starting out, I think the easiest strategy is to locate an area with some current. This is best done when you are physically down on the beach, observing water movement directly.  However you can use charts and maps to get an idea of where there could be some current.

A tidal chart is probably the most effective way of locating current. Another simple method is to look for areas where water movement may be constricted. This could be a rocky point, inlet or abnormally shaped stretch of land.

For example, the rocky point in the below image is probably a good place to check out. The rocky point juts out into the Bay, and is located in close proximity to an estuary, where the tide ebbs and flows. There is a good chance of finding extra swift current here, and where there is strong current, there are often striped bass.

Bringing It All Together

You will have a fantastic chance of catching a striped bass from shore in Buzzard's Bay if you follow the above mentioned tips. However, even the right lure fished in the best area is no guarantee of success. There's an endless stream of other variables to consider.

To really bring it all together and boost your odds of success, consider implementing the below tips into your Buzzard's Bay surfcasting:

1. Keep in mind that big striped bass prefer relatively cool water, and that water temps in Buzzard's Bay during the middle of the summer can reach 70 plus degrees. Therefore I think your best bet for a big fish from shore will not come during July and August.
2. Fishing at night can really boost your chances of finding stripers in shallow, especially in and around boulder fields. If you are targeting stripers in shallow, then consider losing a few hours of sleep and fishing after dark.
3. During the fall it can pay to keep tabs on how the fishing is at the Cape Cod Canal. During the fall thousands of striped bass migrate south through the Canal into Buzzard's Bay. If you hear about spectacular Canal fishing during October, then expect that biomass of stripers to move south along the Buzzard's Bay coastline throughout the following days.
4. The reverse can be true during the spring. Once the bite gets going around Martha's Vineyard it will only be another day or two until schools of stripers infiltrate Buzzard's Bay. This is a great time to find that first keeper of the season.
5. Unfortunately accessing some of the best Buzzard's Bay surfcasting locations is difficult due to private property. Be prepared to walk for a while in order to access the best spots, or utilize a kayak or small boat.

In Conclusion

I really enjoy fishing Buzzard's Bay.

Yet like everywhere else on Cape Cod, locating and catching striped bass from shore here is a challenge. Yet with all the abundant structure, I think finding action here is often slightly easier than in most other Cape Cod surfcasting areas.

What do you think? Let me know by commenting below.

Tight lines and take care,

Ryan