Advice needed: Cape Cod shore fishing

[TroutCrazy]

Every September, my extended family rents a house for a week on Cape Cod, in Wellfleet.  I never really tried fishing until last year, when I went after striped bass.  Apparently that part of the cape used to be a legendary surf casting destination for striped bass.  But in recent years the seals have made it a year-round home, and the locals say the stripers are now scarce around the beaches. 

On a side note, the great white sharks have noticed the permanent seal population, and are becoming more common at beaches!

Last year I failed to catch much of anything.  I mostly targeted stripers using big jigs that imitated sand eels.  Skunked!  I sure enjoyed walking the beaches at dawn, but my arm got tired from casting that heavy gear with no success.

Local word had it that you had to go closer to the mainland to catch porgy (aka scup) so I tried that but only caught small ones, on cut squid.

This time I'm going to catch something and eat it!  Flounder?  I'd like to catch something tasty.  Can anyone offer me advice?

I'm fishing from shore.

Thanks!

[Perchbait]

I'm not much of a saltwater fisherman and have only been fishing from shore a total of four times, but this summer my Dad and I went up to a popular lighthouse in Maine and we casted a giant Diawa Stick Bait that we picked up at KTP. The thing was massive, but the guy there said that they sold out of them every weekend to Striper anglers and charters. I myself only had one hit from a nearly 30 inch bass that hit on a size 10 X-Rap in the scoop pattern (Somewhat looks like a tiny Mackerel). I had him on for three seconds, but then he threw the hook, probably because they were engineered for the smaller mouths of freshwater fish. If I were you, and just knowing that X-Raps catch everything from experience, I would get this lure in the Blue Sardine pattern to imitate mackerel, which big stripers LOVE. The Saltwater Siwash style of these hooks will also give you much better chances of keeping that monster fish buttoned up. Good Luck and have fun!!
http://www.rapala.com/rapala/lures/x-rap-saltwater-series/x-rapandreg-long-cast/X+Rap+Long+Cast.html?cgid=rapala-lures-xrapSaltwater&start=5

P.S. - Local Bait shops and tackel stores are another great way to collect real time information on what people are using.

[Jschumacher]

Race Point can give up some big girls. You can always take the ride back and hit the canal. You might find some good blue fish action from the beaches towards Wellfleet. Good luck. Let us know how you do

[boondox]

What kind of rod like heavy ex heavy and so on like is it a broom stick to cast?  Also why are you casting so much are you seeing fish activity? Such as bird diving into the water or fish jumping out of water after bait? 

the rod I used for years was a medium heavy spinning rod ulgy stick I got in the basement little bit bigger then a 6foot 6 inch medium action ulgy stick pair it with 30 pound braid and a good reel like a shimano in a 4000 size your choice.. that rod will handle blue fish along with red fish ,mackerels Spanish and king, fluke , etc...

you could even go with that medium bass rod for stuff like lady fish, flounder ,Spanish macs etc.. but are under gunned if something like a bluefish comes along..

by the way if walking beache's you should not be casting that much for one if not seeing fish.. cause there just not there Is why your getting tired casting...


 if you have a car when you get there drive around till you see guys fishing bird crashing water etc that a good sign fish are there.. and poke around same way next night etc..

 as for lures rigs all depends on what your chasing we always use surface lures like hedon Zara spooks large ones of about 4.5 to 5 inches long those were for blue fish crashing bait..

I would not cast if your not seeing any fish only cast to a fish you can see.. also called sight fishing..  usually fish will school up and  you see them balling bait up.. usually not by shore.. for a short cast..

 also drive around till you find lanterns and people fishing at night ask around to find out what your doing wrong.. that all you really can do.. like drive along beaches just remember some will help ya some wont.. I am not from the area but what's said above is a very common thing to figure out..


rember blue fish have sharp teeth so use wire leaders.. so not to get bit off...

[lowaccord66]

Grab a bunch of eels, get out of Wellfleet and fish the canal.  The only reason I drive over the bridge is to fish the other side!  If you want more specifics drop me a pm. 

Also while Boondox means well the guys who only cast at blitzing fish usually do very poorly.  Some of the largest stripers I've landed (40lbs plus) from shore showed no visible activity whatsoever. 

[boondox]

Was not talking about bass fishing .. but blue fishing is what I was talking about..  you are right bass don't like to be in the mix for some reason I think the bigger ones are slow and can't swim as fast  so they follow way behind the blitz.. like said do poorly on big bass..

by the way you guys ever plunk with eels? Not sure if you can use a sand spike and plunk the eel??  By plunking Im talking a weight of some were in the 4 to 10 ounce range  like a pyarmid sinker... hook the sinker eel and main line up on a 90 pound test 3 way swivel.. I would use 50 to 65 pound braid and a good surf rod for this that can handle it.. good 80 pound fluorocarbon leader and good hooks..

  buy a bell and attach it to the rod plunk it and let it sit on bottom.. with a 6 foot leaDer  there should be room for the eel to move around.. And cast with the other rod but keep a close eye on the rod with the bell don't want to gut hook the fish at all.. that or you can cast eels all day .. instead of poppers and surface lures.. this all depends on how many rods that are legal to use..

[westernmas]

You should be able to get into some schoolies on the bay side up that way.  You can try chunk bait or live eels at night.  If you see birds and surface action then I'd have another rod loaded with a popper of some sort.  You can still get into stripers on the national sea shore but the locals are right that they are far and few between because of the seals.  They really need to consider a seal season.

[Fish Farmer]

I fished Race Point beaches a few years ago around this time and we walked  A LOT. I generally flyfish so we usually target likely areas where bait may flush out of flats/canals ect. during the outgoing tide....preferably during low light or foggy conditions.

I've spend some summer time in the Chatham area, mostly fishing Morris Island/Stage Harbor inlet. I've usually seen cruising bass there at all tides, but prefer an outgoing tide, I've caught blues there as well and flounder off Hardings Beach at the harbot inlet. Red River beach jetty, I've caught scup. Some of the other south side beaches have produced schoolie bass off the jetties. The only problem with some of these beaches is you may not be able to fish the jetties when the beaches are open during the day.  I think off season, like now it is ok if there are no lifeguards.

I also have caught schoolie bass, but seen 15 lb bass caught off of Brewster, during dead low where the beach funnels water and bait out to sea.

Good Luck!
 

[bigredfishing]

I get to catch lots of stripers from shore every year on the cape.   90% of all my fish on the are caught on jig with a zoom fluke.  Locations are pretty simple, In the tidal creeks, find moving water with rocks and depth, if you try enough spots like that, you will find stripers from May through October.  

[lowaccord66]

All the above aounds neat and all but with parking fee's, seals, tern regulations I've always abruptly hit the brakes at the canal....Jigging I tend to deal with fewer small fish and can usually average one decent like the one below a night...unless its real slow.

[TroutCrazy]

Good stuff here, folks!  Thanks.  I've been fishing casually around the beaches where my family is hanging out.  No fish.  Tomorrow I'll head south, and try some of these suggestions.  I'll definitely hit the canal one of these days.  I'll let you know how I do.

[lowaccord66]

Good stuff here, folks!  Thanks.  I've been fishing casually around the beaches where my family is hanging out.  No fish.  Tomorrow I'll head south, and try some of these suggestions.  I'll definitely hit the canal one of these days.  I'll let you know how I do.

If you do hit the ditch...this time of year the early morning bite can start coming together.  A shift from 3am to 8 or 9am can be productive.  Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[bootstrap]

eel imitation or mackerel colored bomber or swim bait. huck it far.

[boondox]

eel imitation or mackerel colored bomber or swim bait. huck it far.

I have had luck with mackerel colored  yo zuri minnows see if you can find one??  If you can't get it far enough get a adjustabubble.. slip it on the line and fill full of water and spin it til it tightens and don't slide on the line.. and cast a mile with it.. I put mine 3 foot above the bait to 6 foot above bait... it will give it a lot of weight from water.. I used  the clear 3/4 ounce ones.. but it all depends on what the user likes .. 

[lowaccord66]

Sp minnows in mackerel patterns will do it.  They cast further than all the other similar plugs on the market.  People have forgotten about them, but rapala makes a big xrap with a blue mack pattern...I've caught a bunch of nice fish on them.  

Here's the thing though, especially with the canal...distance is not the key.  Tide stage is.  90% of a few hundred bass over 30# Ive been lucky enough to land were in close...specifically at night moreso than during the day.

If you fish oarticular spots enough eventually you'll figure out what tide is the best for them to feed, for example...I dont go to breachways on the flood...only slack to the ebb because the bass wait for that dropping water from the estuaries...nowso more than any other time with yoy baits like peanut bunker or herring dropping out.