Thursday, February 28, 2013
Billingsgate Shoal is one of the most popular and productive Cape Cod Bay striped bass fishing spots and for good reason. Each season large stripers up to 60 pounds infiltrate the shoal, providing anglers with a strong incentive to get out of bed in the
In just over 2 months the first positive Cape Cod Bay fishing reports will start trickling into bait shops on Cape Cod. One early season Cape Cod Bay fishing spot worth mentioning is the famous Billingsgate Shoal. Viewed on a chart Billingsgate Shoal is the most noticeable and extensive area of structure inside Cape Cod Bay. The Shoal extends from a few miles north of Dennis’ Sesuit Harbor to northernmost point of Wellfleet. Back in the 1800′s a small village of houses was located on Billingsgate Island which once sat just outside Wellfleet Harbor. Strong storms and the perpetually shifting Cape Cod tides and sands have since swept the island into the sea. I believe that at extreme minus tides the abutments from some of the homes can be …
Saturday, September 17, 2011
There's been a lot of sharks kicking around Cape Cod Bay and Stellwagen Bank as of late. This weekend's predicted north winds could really turn on the bite for sharks, tuna and striped bass.
There's a lot happening on the water right now. The striped bass bite last week in Cape Cod Bay was the best it's been all year. Many of the bays and estuaries on the southside are chock full of baby menhaden, bluefish and even some bonito and false albacore. There are some tuna kicking around Stellwagen Bank and Cape Cod bay, although the tuna action as of late has not been stellar. Most notably, over the past few weeks a decent shark bite has developed on Stellwagen Bank, and in the deeper areas of Cape Cod Bay. A few mako sharks, which look like smaller versions of great whites, have been caught by giant tuna anglers. Blue sharks have also been part of the mix. Some of these sharks have been nothing short of massive. We landed a …
Saturday, September 10, 2011
The striped bass fishing in Cape Cod Bay is on fire. Quite a few stripers above the 40 pound mark have settled into the area. Surfcasting should improve as well this weekend, due to the northeast winds of this past week.
If you fish Cape Cod Bay with any regularity, you've probably seen a 21 foot Hydra Sport zipping up and down the beach, doing circles and zig zags for no apparent reason. Well the clown behind the wheel, burning all that gas, is yours truly. I like to take a proactive approach to fishing the Bay, which involves a lot of scouting around before ever making a cast. Sometimes I come up empty, with nothing more than a serious gas bill to take home. Other times, I get lucky, and stumble across the motherload of big striped bass. Fortunately for myself and my crew, the latter result has been happening quite frequently so far this September. We've been finding huge masses of big fish, simply because a lot of bass have moved into the Bay. This…
Saturday, September 3, 2011
September is prime time for fishing Barnstable, and all of Cape Cod for that matter. Read why.
In my opinion, September is the best month for fishing on Cape Cod. The early morning air has a crisp bite to it that was not present during August, the crowds at the boat ramp dissipate, and the fish show up in larger numbers and are more aggressive. The fish become more abundant and aggressive as the month trucks along. Some of the biggest bass and tuna of the year will most likely be taken over the next few weeks. The weather in September is also usually conducive to fishing Cape Cod Bay from a small boat. Greasy calm days are pretty common. Of course we will get a few days of a sustained northwest wind this month which will keep most folks off the water, however this is not always a bad thing. A brisk onshore breeze often lights up…
