Summertime on Cape Cod means it is time to adjust fishing strategies. The weather’s getting hotter, the fish are starting to settle into their summertime haunts, and the bite is the best, by far, after dark. Fishing at night will usually result in much bigger and better catches.

Fishing Cape Cod from the shoreline during July and August is usually difficult. The greater part of the striped bass population will undoubtedly be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. However hitting the right spots at night will greatly improve your chances of tying into one of the Cape’s summer time cow striped bass.

Fishing these locales, after dark, may very well result in a fine catch. Fish above the 50 pound mark are caught each year at these spots. Good luck!

Fishing the Cape Cod Canal

Some of the best and most dependable canal fishing takes place during early July. This ribbon of water might seem devoid of life during daylight, however don’t be fooled-things get going as soon as the sun sets.

Pip’s Rip inside the canal’s east end may very well be one of the most reliable producers of big bass during early July. Pip’s Rip is furthermore the most striking and extraordinary rip in the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically off of the bottom, then plunges into a gulley. The backend of the rip then soars dramatcially from the bottom, creating a duo of pronounced valleys that can hold fish when the current is flowing.

Striped bass settle down into the rip like clockwork at this stage of the year. The stripers will hold on each tide, so long as the current is flowing. Casting to the rip from shore can be tough from time to time. The ideal opportunity for the shorebound angler takes place on an incoming tide, when the current is moving east.

The rest of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, pockets and valleys which all hold big fish. The hard part is figuring out where they are and what tides deliver best at each place.

If you are a canal novice, walk the canal during the day when the current is really turning. Bring along a pad and pen and take notice of the pole numbers that coincide with rip water on the surface of the canal. Return during the nighttime and fan cast the location with a heavy jig, keeping track of just how long it takes the jig to reach bottom.

When you find a gulley, you will see that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom. For instance, one of my most productive canal jigging locations features an enormous hole, surrounded on both sides by remarkable rock peaks. It’ll only take my four ounce jig 7 seconds to hit the top of the rock peaks, however it takes 15 seconds for it to reach the bottom of the hole.

Sandy Neck Beach

There are a lot of remarkable incentives for fishermen fishing Sandy Neck. The area is stunning, and it’s one of the few beaches left on Cape Cod where it is legal to drive on the sand.

The fishing can be downright awesome too. The good news is for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a considerable population of bass sitting just off the beach in areas like the “Parking Lot” and the “Fingers.” The schools offshore can, now and then, be very large.

It is a real treat for fishermen when these fish move in close to the coastline. This usually occurs through late August and September, however it does, on occasion, occur in July.

I remember being in just 7 feet of h2o last summer off Sandy Neck, pitching eels from the Miss Loretta. We couldn’t have been much more than 50 yards off the beach. There were impressive amounts of stripers slurping down our eels through the night. It would have been an unbelievable night of surfcasting, had there been anyone casting from the beach.

Scorton Creek

Scorton Creek flows into Cape Cod Bay, just to the west of Sandy Neck. The creek on its own is an impressive environment. Its upper reaches sometimes hold schoolie striped bass throughout the winter.

Just offshore of the creek lies Scorton Ledge, which is, at its essence, a muddy, boulder strewn hump. At specific times throughout the summer, the Ledge holds large numbers of keeper size stripers. Throughout the night these fish will frequently venture within casting range of anglers fishing East Sandwich beach and Scorton Creek.

I have found the outgoing tide at Scorton Creek to be the most effective. Throwing a live eel, or piece of bait into the current, and allowing it to catch a free ride offshore is an effective way to fish a bait. There are a number of holes and gulleys at the opening of the creek that bass are attracted to.

The most important consideration when fishing the creek at night is safety. A powerful current, combined with darkness and unexpected drop-offs can be very dangerous. Taking extra precaution when angling in the area needs to be an absolute priority.

No fish is ever worth risking your life!

Tight lines, catch ‘em up, and don’t forget your headlamp!

Make sure to read these article posts about Fishing Cape Cod and fishing the Cape Cod Canal for huge stripers and giant tuna!. This article, How to Catch Striped Bass at Night has free reprint rights.

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