Ryan Collins
Small numbers of migratory striped bass reached Cape Cod last week, however I had no personally caught any, until this morning.
I woke up today expecting to try for tautog from my kayak. If you read this tautog report from a few days ago then you know the action has been pretty good.
However my kayak-tautog plans changed abruptly this morning just before sunrise when I was greeted with heavy dense fog.
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Change Of Plans
Kayaking in dense fog is no fun, plus it can be dangerous. I prefer to be able to see where I am headed in a kayak, and I don't like the idea of another boat not being able to see me.
So much like the bird in the below photo, I decided I would instead fish on foot. The kayak would have to wait until another day.
Tautog were still on my mind as I walked through a small dune path towards a rocky shoreline. I have caught tautog from shore before on Cape, and I felt confident I might be able to find some hanging out around submerged boulders.
Yet that all changed once I walked out to the tip of a rock jetty. Down to the left I could easily see a school of at least a dozen stripers cruising through the crystal clear shallows.
Stripers Feeding Ontop
Since I was rigged up for tautog fishing (and because I had plenty of green crabs for bait) my initial thought was to quickly cast a live crab into the school of bass.
However, the bass were not interested in the crab. The fish were feeding aggressively on the surface, so I figured a topwater plug would be my best choice.
The 1 ounce yellow/white Gibbs pencil did the trick...
Gear & Equipment List
This was the best striper action I have experienced yet this month and there is little doubt in my mind that more bass are arriving in Cape waters by the hour.
Final tally was around a half dozen stripers, with the largest about 26 inches in length. I definitely could of caught more fish had I wanted to.
For more information about this trip, and to watch my full 8 minute video from this trip, then please click the download button below.
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More information about the area on Cape Cod that I was fishing this morning + a full 8 minute video of the trip.
nice video- the sound of the terns, the vision of the fog were great to share after our frustrating weather…
went floundering 3 d ago, used chumpot with frozen meatgrinder sea clams, 45 feet depth, north of sesuit in my 17′ key west. my buddy and I found 8 flounder from 12″ to my personal best 17 1/2″ using seaworms.
also, another first, I caught a longhorn sculpin- interesting, distinctly unattractive fish, as big as the flounder on the other hook of my tandem flounder rig.
Wow no kidding Barry! Very cool. Thank you for the flounder intel. Good to know they are out there in decent numbers right now.
Nice!
Hey I was wondering what the pants and boots were.
Hey Richard ??
I was wearing booties like these https://www.themightyfish.com/products/zipit-bootie-ii
FYI – those booties are GREAT for the beach, but they honestly aren’t the best for slippery rocks/jetties.
Breathable waders like these from LL Bean or Simms are my go-to https://www.themightyfish.com/products/simms-freestone-stockingfoot-wader
LMK if I can help with anything else. ??
Great video! Beautiful fish. The tern’s “kee-yar and kip kip” is the best sound. Can’t wait to get down there.
It definitely is a great sound and I’ve enjoyed listening to the terns ever since I was a kid. I hope you’re able to make it down soon Andrew. The action should get better with each passing day ?
In a month it will be “Spook time” for a big fish in that fog! Get those Docs ready!
That’s right! I have a bunch of big spooks from Gibbs, Musky Mania and the new spooks from Daddy Mac Lures ready to go.
Still not on the board yet. Just a few holdovers in Wareham.
On a mission today.
1. Put the wee one on the bus.
2. Headed south to conquer.
Fingers crossed.
Gluck Eddie!
Kind of a foggy and cold start to the morning, but the sun is shining nicely now.
I hope you find ’em.
Loved the video! What a beautiful morning! I love that kind if weather, love the fog. The water was so crystal clear! Nice. It was great watching you reel in those fish in that beautiful setting! There’s nothing like getting up early in the morning and see whats going on in nature! Congrats on “switching gear” and catching some stripers! A great start to your day!
It definitely was a great start to my day, put me in a great mood! Rarely do I ever regret waking up at 4:30am, even if I don’t catch a thing – helps me start my day with a great mindset. Gluck Leslie if you make it out there this week!
Great video. What are you using for a rod & reel
Thanks
Glad you liked the video Bob ??
For a reel I was using a Van Staal VR150 spooled up with 30 pound moss green Power Pro braided line, and a 30 pound Seagur fluorocarbon leader > https://www.themightyfish.com/collections/saltwater-reels-spinning/products/van-staal-vr-bailed-spinning-reel?variant=30931202821
For a rod I was using a Shimano Teramar TVS 66MH. Normally I would of used my 9ft surfcasting setup, but as I mentioned earlier in the report I was intending to fish out of my kayak, hence the smaller rod.
The above setup is an “investment” in my angling future. I plan on using the VR150 reel and that rod for many, many years. If you have the budget then I recommend you go for it, however there are many less expensive options that will work very well.
For a lure I was casting a 1oz yellow/white Gibbs pencil popper. I had crushed the barbs on the treble hooks to make releasing the stripers easier > https://www.themightyfish.com/products/gibbs-lures-pencil-popper?variant=4809809690665
I went for tog for the first time in my new Outback this morning. The fog did not help, and unfortunately I got skunked. Congrats on the first migrating stripers of your season. ?
Thanks Hayden, and thank you for the update. LMK when you get your first tog on the kayak!
Great water, fish, and fog. I am ready.
Me 2
Having trouble watching this video for some reason. It keeps bringing me to the home page video..
Hey Walter ??
Sounds like you just need to login with your username and password, and then click that orange download button.
Make sure you are logged in and then LMK if I can help with anything else.
Tight lines ?