Cape Cod Night Time Striped Bass Fishing Hot Spots






by Sandy Ingram


With Independence Day weekend knocking at our doorstep, it's that time for truly serious striped bass anglers to transition into fishing at night. The weather's getting hotter, the fish are starting to settle into their summer time haunts, and the bite is best, without a doubt, at night. Fishing Cape Cod from shore during July and August is usually tough. The greater part of the striped bass population will likely to be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats. Things can get frustrating at times. However showing up in the right spots after dark will greatly improve your odds of tying into one of the Cape's summer time cow striped bass. Hitting the following hotspots, at night, will offer you a high probability at hooking up with a nice striped bass.

The Cape Cod Canal Some of the best and most consistent canal fishing happens during early July. This ribbon of water may look devoid of life during daylight, however don't let yourself be fooled-things get rolling as soon as the sun sets. Pip's Rip at the canal's east end may be the most dependable producer of large bass during early July. Pip's Rip is also one of the most striking and impressive rips inside of the entire canal. The rip rises dramatically from the bottom, then falls into a gulley. The backend of the rip then rises dramatically from the bottom again, creating two distinct valleys that will hold big bass if the current is flowing.

Species There are two species which include the Pacific and the Atlantic blue marlin. Scientific research has found that most of the species found in the Atlantic are genetically similar to that found in the Pacific. This is attributed to the prevalence of the p-phenotype in both oceans compared to the a-phenotype that has not been found in the Pacific and Indian oceans.

If you are a canal newbie, stroll the canal during the day when the current is really cranking. Bring along a pad and pencil and be aware of the pole numbers that coincide with rip water on the surface of the canal. Return back during nighttime and fan cast the area with a heavy jig, maintaining track of how much time it takes the jig to hit bottom. When you come across a gulley, you will find that it takes considerably longer for your jig to reach bottom. For instance, one of my favorite canal jigging areas includes an enormous hole, enclosed on both sides by impressive rock peaks. It will only take my four ounce jig 7 seconds to reach the top of the rock peaks, however it takes 15 seconds for it to reach the bottom of the valley.

Methods Different fishing methods and equipment are used. The choice mostly depends on the size of the fish being aimed for the conditions at sea. Local cultural practices also come into play. Live bait, artificial lures or rigged natural baits will be used.

I remember being in only 7 feet of h2o last summer off Sandy Neck, casting eels from the Miss Loretta. We could hardly have been more than 50 yards off the beach. There were massive amounts of stripers slurping down our eels through the night. It would have been an unbelievable night of surfcasting, had there been anyone fishing from the beach.

Natural Bait Others prefer rigged natural bait. They have been used since the previous century and are still popular today. They are widely used in the American eastern seaboard as well as in the Caribbean and Bahamas. Here, horse ballyhoo and Spanish mackerel are used to lure the Atlantic breed of marlin. These can be used in combination with artificial lures. With live bait fishing, smaller species of tuna and skipjack are thought to be the best lure. Its limitation is that the bait cannot be trolled fast so that it remains alive. This method can only be used in fairly small fishing areas. It is the method used in the fishery in Kona,Hawaii.




About the Author: