Cape Cod Fishing Report May 2, 2012

One of the best parts about fishing Cape Cod during May is the solitude.

Last night I had an entire beach all to myself.  Just me, a few nice fish, seals and the birds.  I walked up and down the beach for around 2 miles without seeing anyone else.  Pretty cool!

The weather was slightly better than the night before which was a relief.  It was still overcast but the rain had subsided along with the wind.  The Cape Cod Bay beaches were still getting hit by a brisk northerly wind, so I again decided it'd be best to wait to fish some of my favorite CCB spots-at least until the wind changed directions.

So I hopped in the truck and made the drive to the southside of the Cape.

As I had envisioned conditions on the southside were much better.  There was next to no wind and a nice, slow rolling surf.  I instantly had a pretty good feeling about this trip.

An overlooked aspect of fishing Cape Cod is the versatility that this sandy peninsula offers saltwater fishermen.  The Cape's unique geographical shape makes it possible to find a nice area to fish no matter the conditions.  If the wind is blowing hard from south, then the beaches to north will be more comfortable to fish.  If like yesterday the wind and rain is blowing in from the north, then the southside beaches will be more comfy.

It's hard to beat those kinds of options in the striped bass fishing world.

At first glance yesterday the beach looked rather lifeless.  Fortunately after walking for about 45 minutes and casting fruitlessly, I noticed a seal playing around just offshore.  This was the first seal I have ever seen at this particular beach, so I was not necessarily thrilled.

However I figured that the seal must of been here for a reason.  Maybe he was searching for the same species of fish I was in pursuit of.

I continued walking another 100 yards or so down the beach when I noticed another enormous seal bobbing around just out of casting distance.  I was in the process of trying to get a picture of the mammal when I caught a swirl out of the corner of my eye.  There were bass right at my feet in no more than 2 feet of water!

Of course by the time I put my phone/camera away and got a line in the water the fish had disappeared.  Nevertheless it was a good sign and with the sun about to set I figured I would get another chance.

I walked another 50 yards down the shoreline as the seal curiously watched my every move.  I continued casting as I walked and was able to provoke two half-hearted follows and swirls from what looked to be schoolie bass.  Another good sign!

I had seen some small bait skipping around on the surface so I decided to tie on a slightly smaller pencil popper.  I was initially hoping to find bass and blues chowing down on squid in the surf but it seemed like they were on small bait last night.

A few casts later and POW! A nice bass absolutely hammered the smaller top water plug and came flying into the air.  This fish jumped three times, cartwheeling in the air as if he was a tarpon!  I have only seen a bass jump like this a few times in my life - boy was that an aggressive fish!

For his size this striper put up one heck of a fight.  He took a little line which felt nice - nothing like the 30 and 40 pounders of last September but just as exciting.

I got the bass up onto the sand and he taped out at 30 inches.  Not a monster but perfect for this weekend's clam bake (wasn't planning on having one but I guess I have to now).  The 28-32 inch class fish are by far the best eating size in my book.

It was getting dark and I had a decent walk and drive ahead of me so I decided to make the trek back.  I wouldn't say the action was incredible, but I will say it was very promising especially for May 2.

I watched bass swirl no farther than 10-20 feet offshore throughout the entire walk back to the truck.  I'd say I saw a bass swirling every 50 yards or so.  The activity definitely increased as it got darker.

All in all another really fun early season surf casting trip.  Can't wait to see what tonight brings!

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