Up and down the East Coast, there are certain spots that fish better than others depending on the time of the year. This rings especially true on Cape Cod. Falmouth's Old Silver beach is an early season striped bass fishing hot spot. Small keepers and schoolies can be found up and down the beach starting in May.
Most of the best early season striped bass spots on Cape Cod can be found on the Cape's south side and Buzzard's Bay. Old Silver beach borders the eastern edge of Buzzard's Bay and is one of the first spots on Cape Cod to experience an influx of striped bass.
Conveniently Old Silver contains the grand slam of early season striped bass attractors. The beach has a herring run, an expanse of sand that transitions to a boulder strewn coast, followed to the north by a quiet back back bay harbor.
Most of my fishing time is spent to the north around the boulder field. However I would imagine that many nice stripers wander in and around the herring run as well.
A fairly long walk is required to access these boulders, yet the walk is almost always worth the effort.
Be sure to check the tide before heading down to Old Silver. The best time to fish the boulder field is immediately before and after low tide.
Top water plugs and pencil poppers in particular seem to work best around the rocks. Aside from being productive, top water plugs elicit awesome top water strikes from these early season bass.
At the northern most tip of the boulder field is a rocky outcropping that gives way to a peaceful back bay. If the wind is right, it is possible to cast a plug all the way to the channel at the opening of the bay. This is one of the most productive striped bass fishing spots in the area.
Just be sure to keep close tabs on the tide when fishing the rocky outcropping. This is definitely not a spot where you want to push the limits with the tide.
Early May is one of the best times to target striped bass at Old Silver. Most of the fish will be on the small side, however there are occasionally some bigger stripers mixed in.
Some years bluefish can be found mixed in a long with the bass at Old Silver. However if you are hoping to target bluefish, then try fishing at South Cape beach in Mashpee.
Most of the best early season striped bass spots on Cape Cod can be found on the Cape's south side and Buzzard's Bay. Old Silver beach borders the eastern edge of Buzzard's Bay and is one of the first spots on Cape Cod to experience an influx of striped bass.
Conveniently Old Silver contains the grand slam of early season striped bass attractors. The beach has a herring run, an expanse of sand that transitions to a boulder strewn coast, followed to the north by a quiet back back bay harbor.
Most of my fishing time is spent to the north around the boulder field. However I would imagine that many nice stripers wander in and around the herring run as well.
A fairly long walk is required to access these boulders, yet the walk is almost always worth the effort.
Be sure to check the tide before heading down to Old Silver. The best time to fish the boulder field is immediately before and after low tide.
Top water plugs and pencil poppers in particular seem to work best around the rocks. Aside from being productive, top water plugs elicit awesome top water strikes from these early season bass.
At the northern most tip of the boulder field is a rocky outcropping that gives way to a peaceful back bay. If the wind is right, it is possible to cast a plug all the way to the channel at the opening of the bay. This is one of the most productive striped bass fishing spots in the area.
Just be sure to keep close tabs on the tide when fishing the rocky outcropping. This is definitely not a spot where you want to push the limits with the tide.
Early May is one of the best times to target striped bass at Old Silver. Most of the fish will be on the small side, however there are occasionally some bigger stripers mixed in.
Some years bluefish can be found mixed in a long with the bass at Old Silver. However if you are hoping to target bluefish, then try fishing at South Cape beach in Mashpee.
About the Author:
Captain Ryan Collins is a charter and commercial striped bass fisherman from Cape Cod, MA. His fishing blog, myfishingcapecod.com teaches novice and veteran fishermen the top techniques for big striped bass. Check out his blog for more secret tips on fishing Cape Cod.