Fishing in Cape Cod Provincetown to Falmouth

Surf anglers fish for striped bass and bluefish off Cape Cod.

Provincetown Harbor produces world-class fluke fishing, especially in September, with bluefish and stripers mixing into the catch. Turning the corner and heading down Cape Cod’s Outer Beaches, you’ll find Race Point, long a mecca for surf anglers on the trail of trophy bass. Boat anglers do well by drifting bait or trolling spreader bars and parachute jigs near the bottom on wire line and downriggers. During the day, deep holes, troughs, and rocky areas are prime places to drift eels or troll with deep-diving plugs and umbrella rigs.

The coastline from Race Point to Nauset Inlet, once a bastion of beach-buggy subculture until access was severely restricted, still produces many huge striped bass and bluefish from June through October for those willing to hike the strand. At night, stripers often move into the surf zone to feed just a few feet from shore.

Hardy anglers can take cod and pollock on bottom baits from late fall through early spring, before these fish move to deeper zones for the summer. Nauset Inlet off Chatham is well known for huge stripers, yet it can be a dangerous place for both boaters and surf casters because of the fierce currents that flow in and out of Pleasant Bay. The bay itself harbors lots of big bass, which often hold in pockets on the grassy bottom and cruise the shallows after dark.

Jutting into the ocean south of Chatham is Monomoy Island, another famous landmark that’s surrounded by great fishing. Bearses and Pollock Rips lie off the island’s east end and southern tip, respectively. Both shoals are swept by strong currents, making them great places to catch stripers and blues. Experts drift eels and live pogies (menhaden), or use wire line to fish jigs and spreader bars down deep.

This is also the northernmost range of the so-called summer migrants—bonito, false albacore, and Spanish mackerel—which arrive in late summer and depart in early October. The miles of shallow sand flats along Monomoy’s western shore offer phenomenal sight-casting opportunities for anglers seeking striped bass and bluefish from June to September.

Good striper and bluefish action are enjoyed all along the Cape’s south side, from Chatham to Falmouth. The Bass River in Hyannis is one of the first spots on the coast to produce schoolie stripers, with bigger bass available from June through October. Hyannis Harbor sees big bluefish in June, and again in late August and September. Blues are also encountered on the sand flats close to shore off Cotuit and Osterville in June. As the waters warm, the big blues move out to the rips like those at Succonesset and Horseshoe Shoals, although small “snarbor” blues may provide fast action in the shallows through the summer.

This stretch of coast is prime territory for bo-nito, false albacore, and Spanish mackerel from late July through September. Pods of these fish typically cruise the beaches or gang up around the mouths of saltwater ponds and bays, such as Green Pond, Great Pond, Eel Pond, Waquoit Bay, Osterville, and Popponessett Bay. These spots also hold stripers and bluefish, although summer action is generally best at dawn and dusk. Anglers profit from great schoolie action inside the ponds and harbors throughout the season, even during midday. Fly and light-tackle anglers can score by simply working streamers, jigs, and spoons around the numerous dock pilings.

The waters between the Cape and “The Islands” (Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket) are rife with shoals and rips that hold blues, bass, bonito, false albacore, and fluke throughout the season. These spots are especially productive during the hot summer months, when inshore areas quiet down during the day. Most of the aforementioned species are occasionally caught on or near the surface, especially at dawn and dusk, but most of the time you’ll need to get baits and lures down deep to score.

Woods Hole in Falmouth offers prime access to great fishing along the scenic Elizabeth Islands chain and Vineyard Sound. Woods Hole’s rocky rips can be a great spot to fish for stripers, espe- cially at first light, although the swift currents and summer boat traffic demand constant vigilance on the part of the helmsman. In August, the rocky ledge extending from Nonamesset Island into Vineyard Sound is a perennial hotspot for bonito and false albacore. Small-boat anglers enjoy good action with stripers by throwing plugs and flies all along the shores of the Elizabeths. Early morning and late evening yield the best results, but be sure to keep an eye out for rocks. June is a good time to cast and retrieve live eels in the shallows for stripers, especially around Cuttyhunk Island. Famous Sow and Pigs Reef off the tip of Cuttyhunk is filled with scary boulders, but many anglers think the payoff with big bass is worth the risk.

The powerful currents that sweep through each of the cuts, or “holes,” between the islands tumble all kinds of baitfish, making them vulnerable to bluefish, bass, bonito, and albacore. While schoolies and occasionally keeper bass will chase baits on the surface, usually around slack tide, the biggest fish normally hug the bottom. Wire-line trollers do well with parachute jigs, tubes, and plugs through the holes, while bait dunkers often chunk at anchor or drift with eels and pogies. Fluke fishing is quite good around the mouths of the holes, while rocky outcroppings and wrecks on the Buzzards Bay side of the Elizabeths hold good numbers of tautog, big scup, and the occasional black seabass for bottom anglers.

While fishing along the Elizabeths, keep an eye out for birds working over busting fish in Vineyard Sound and Buzzards Bay. Bluefish, bonito, or false albacore are often below them.