Essentially, one of the most daunting tasks, specifically in our neck of the woods, is locating quality fish. It isn't important what varieties of fish are targeted, the ability to consistently find fish on each fishing trip is half the battle, and is the most important ingredient to a successful season.
Locating fish among the 604 square miles of water that constitute Cape Cod Bay is quite like locating a needle within a haystack. Nantucket Sound towards the south is not that much more inviting. However it's possible to consistently locate quality fishing, no matter the time of year, weather conditions or the presence of bait, given that a sound strategy is employed.
And in this day an age, consistently locating striped bass, when fishing Cape Cod, relies heavily upon the use of electronics.
Choosing a Place to begin
All of us love those rare days when diving birds and breaking fish lead the way to great fishing. Or those exceptional moments in the event the fishing report we read in yesterday's newspaper rings true.
The truth is on many trips, we really do not have these luxuries. Far more often we are met by miles of seemingly lifeless water, with no signs as to where the bite is best. Which presents the problem, amidst all this wide open h2o, where do we start out?
Working with the most updated intel possible is a smart way to build a starting point.
Let's say the only info we have is that last weekend a handful of nice bass were caught in 60 feet of water somewhere in Cape Cod Bay. Even while we are not presented with any precise info by this statement, the tidbit of data we are granted (60 feet of water) is crucially critical-taking into consideration the vastness of the Bay.
Sixty feet of water is going to be our beginning point.
Starting the Search
Cruising out to a depth of 60 feet and instantly placing baits within the water is not a good plan. The possibility that bass will be holding in the first area we try,regardless of whether it is a well-known hot spot, are certainly slim.
It is also a complete waste of your time to troll around all day in 60 feet of water, hoping and praying to stagger across a striper or two. On the other hand, we can maximize our time and efficiency by using a far more proactive method of finding stripers using our electronics.
All that is needed is an effective color sonar unit. Systems worth thousands of dollars are nice, however a color unit bought for a few hundred bills will perform just fine.
The next action to regularly locating fish is to determine what direction to begin the search. Say for example you leave Barnstable Harbor, reach a depth of 60 feet, and know from practical experience that you have done very well to the west, in the area off Sandy Neck. In this situation it can probably make the most sense to start our search by going in a westerly track.
Always keeping an eye on the sonar, we'll cruise west at a reasonable pace-one that will allow us to clearly see fish markings on the sonar, while also making it possible for us to cover plenty of water. For most units, a speed of around eight miles-per-hour performs fine.
Because the Bay is vast, and for the most part, lacking any fish holding structure, we often might have to go miles without marking a single fish on the sonar. This is great news because we now have eliminated miles of water that we may have squandered hours trolling through.
When You Should Commence Fishing
On some trips it may only take a few minutes to mark a bass on the sonar, and on other trips it might take a number of hours. However one must always not underestimate the significance o feven just one single mark on the sonar.
If you see a definitive bass mark on the sonar, chances are that you have found one of hundreds of fish in the area. Striped bass are especially prone to hang around in large schools. During 2010 we located on numerous instances, schools of bass near to a mile in length.
Most of the time that one mark on the screen, is but one of many fish holding in the immediate area.
Now is the time to put lines in the water and begin fishing. And if after fifteen or twenty minutes, there are no takes or more fish marked on the sonar, it is time to resume the search.
It is often possible to find a school of say 20-40 pound stripers, and follow them for miles. However it is easy to lose the school if too much time is spent fishing in one location, and not enough time is spent using sonar to stay on top of the school.
Breaking Free from Conventional methods
Many people are likely to get caught up on hammering the GPS coordinates from a productive past trip, or gravitating to renowned hot spots or fleets of other boats. In many cases, lines enter the water despite no evidence of fish on the sonar.
The fact is that fish are almost continuously on the move, and often move quickly. In spacious areas without structure and significant current, investing more time actively moving around, and a smaller amount time with lines in the water, will improve the odds of finding a spot holding fish.
I have been addicted to fishing Cape Cod since the age of 5. I developed http://myfishingcapecod.com to help make your Cape Cod fishing experience more fun and successful. Enjoy what you find but be warned; fishing Cape Cod can be addictive!
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