Night Surfcasting Cape Cod

With Fourth of July weekend knocking at our front door, it's about that time for serious striped bass fishermen to transition into fishing during the night.  The weather's getting hotter, the fish are starting to settle into their summertime haunts, and the bite is best, by far, after dark.

Fishing Cape Cod from shore during July and August can be a tough.  The bulk of the striped bass population will be holding in deeper water only accessible by boats.  Things can get frustrating at times.  However hitting the right spots after dark will greatly increase your chances of tying into one of the Cape's summertime cow striped bass.

Hitting the following hotspots, after dark, will give you a good chance at hooking up with a nice striped bass.

The

Some of the best and most consistent canal fishing occurs during early July.  This ribbon of water may seem devoid of life during daylight hours, however do not be fooled-things get going once the sun sets.

Pip's Rip at the canal's east end may very well be the most consistent producer of big bass during early July.  Pip's Rip is also one of the most dramatic and impressive rips in the entire canal.  The rip rises sharply from the bottom, then plunges down into a gulley.  The backend of the rip then rises dramatcially from the bottom, creating two distinct valleys that will hold striped bass when the current is moving. 

Big bass settle into the rip like clockwork at this time of the year.  The bass will hold on each tide, as long as the current is moving.  Hitting the rip from shore can be difficult at times.  The best opportunity for the shorebound angler occurs  on an incoming tide, when the current is moving east.

The rest of the canal is littered with rips, gulleys, holes and valleys that all hold fish.   The difficult part is figuring out where they are and what tides produce best at each locale. 

If you are a canal rookie, walk the canal during the day when the current is really cranking.  Bring along a pad and pencil and take note of the pole numbers that coincide with rip water  on the surface of the canal.  Return during the night and fan cast the area with a heavy jig, keeping track of how long it takes the jig to hit bottom. 

When you locate a gulley, you will notice that it takes considerably longer for your jig to hit bottom.  For example, one of my favorite canal jigging spots features an enormous hole, surrounded on both sides by impressive rock peaks.  It only takes 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 great bonuses for anglers fishing Sandy Neck.  The place is gorgeous, and it's one of the few beaches left on Cape Cod where it is OK to drive on the sand. 

The fishing can be downright awesome too.  Fortunately for Sandy Neck fishermen, there exists a large population of striped bass sitting just offshore in areas like the "Parking Lot" and the "Fingers."  The schools offshore can, at times, be very large.

It is a real treat for surfcasters when these fish move in tight to the beach.  This usually happens during late August and early September, however it does on occasion occur in July. 

I remember  being in just 7 feet of water last summer off Sandy Neck, drifting eels from the Miss Loretta.  We could not have been more than 50 yards off the beach.  There were acres of bass slurping down our eels all night.  It would have been an epic 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 itself is an impressive ecosystem.  Its upper reaches even hold schoolie bass throughout the winter.

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

I have found the outgoing tide at the creek to be the most effective.  Casting a live eel, or chunk bait into the current, and allowing it to catch a free ride offshore is a productive way to present a bait.  There are a few holes and gulleys at the mouth of the creek that bass flock to. 

The most important consideration when fishing the creek after dark is safety.  A strong current mixed with darkness and invisible drop-offs can be very dangerous.  Taking extra precaution when fishing the area is an absolute necessity.

No fish is ever worth risking your life.

Tight lines, good luck and don't forget your headlamp!