Paul Restuccia

Myself and four fellow members of My Fishing Cape Cod met Capt. Cullen Lundholm of Cape Star Charters at the launch ramp just as the sun began peaking over the horizon.

There was a light southwest breeze that pushed some fog into the area - which can be ideal conditions for topwater plugging. 

As Capt. Cullen prepared the boat, another popular charter boat motored past the dock. From social media posts, I knew this boat had done very well with large striped bass the day before.

As we navigated our way out of the harbor, I felt very hopeful about our chances of catching large bass. 

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Fast-Fishing

A sturdy boat and a skilled captain made for an easy ride to our fishing destination. As we approached the area we planned to target, we could already see birds working over breaking fish.

Captain Lundholm already had the spinning rods rigged with topwater plugs ready to cast at the blitzing bass. We all grabbed our rods and fired out our first casts of the the trip. All of us either hooked up, or had a bass boil on our plug within our first cast!

This was a striped bass fisherman's paradise! The author with a beautiful fish caught during the latest My Fishing Cape Cod group trip.

This was certainly a great start to the trip! Better yet, these bass weren't just schoolies. Everybody on board was landing big fish with many bass above the 40" mark. 

My Fishing Cape Cod member Drew Hamlin was also onboard the 6/23 group trip.

Drew's father-in-law also got in on the action!

Captain Lundholm made his way around the boat, removing and releasing the big bass. Of course he made periodic pauses to snap photos of the larger fish. 

Staying Mobile

After about half an hour, the action slowed down. We were no longer getting bass or blowups on every cast. 

Captain Lundholm told us to bring our lines up, and that we would make a slight location adjustment. He quickly found breaking fish again, and the red-hot action continued!

My Fishing Cape Cod member Sean Simon came all the way up from Miami to experience some of the Cape's best fishing.

Nearly all the bass pulled into the boat were above 35 inches, with most being much larger and pushing the 30lb mark. The number of fish caught was also amazing, as I believe everyone on board caught at least 10 fish!

For those of us fixated on striper fishing, there's nothing quite like watching a 30 pounder smash a topwater plug. 

I can still hear the sounds of big fish slamming the plugs, screaming drags, shouts of joy, and the cries of seabirds in the background. 

An Amazing Experience

The others onboard the boat hailed from Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut and Cape Cod. Some were boat fishermen, and others dedicated surfcasters. 

However, we all shared the desire to be out on the beautiful, clear waters of the Cape, chasing after big fish.

Before this trip, I had seen pictures of big fish on social media, but so far this season, I hadn't personally landed anything over 32 inches. While I was grateful for the small bass I was catching this season, I of course wanted to catch "the big ones."

During "feature trips" Ryan of MFCC hops onboard and documents the experiencing with photos & videos. The next feature trip is scheduled for Friday July 21st.

When I heard about the My Fishing Cape Cod group trips, I knew I wanted to sign up. MFCC group trips present an opportunity to experience the best fishing the Cape has to offer, so I jumped at it!

Keep in mind that I already have a boat, and fish almost every weekend. I got to learn the techniques, times and places to catch fish from people who have been fishing the Cape their whole lives.

Although I have been fishing all my life, I still have a lot to learn, and these group trips do just that.

Above all, MFCC group trips are a great way to get on the water, and have fun with other members who share the same passion for fishing.

If you're interested in joining and MFCC Group Trip click here.