Areas to Check Out
Cape Cod Bay is a 604 square mile expanse of saltwater due south of Boston, MA. Cape Cod Bay is surrounded by the outer Cape to the east and the Massachusetts' South Shore to the west. Waves can still build to great heights inside the Bay, howevver being surrounded by land on three sides does help to make the area more fishable, especially if you are fishing from a small boat. Giant bluefin tuna can be found roaming throughout the Bay during the spring, summer and fall months. Needless to say the tuna have free reign over the Bay, however there are a few areas which seem to yield a greater number of tuna sightings and hookups than others.
The Fishing Ledge, which sits almost smack dab in the middle of Cape Cod Bay, is a good area to check out for tuna, especially while one is in transit to more reputable locations such as Peaked Hill Bar or Stellwagen Bank. The Ledge is situated more or less smack dab in the middle of Cape Cod Bay. When the wind is light and variable, we can easily access the Ledge in our 21 foot Hydra Sport. Unfortunately, if the seas begin to kick up, it is a smart decision for us to think about heading for the dock. However if the seas are glass calm, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for giant tuna cruising just beneath the water's surface.
Cape Cod Bay is a 604 square mile expanse of saltwater due south of Boston, MA. Cape Cod Bay is surrounded by the outer Cape to the east and the Massachusetts' South Shore to the west. Waves can still build to great heights inside the Bay, howevver being surrounded by land on three sides does help to make the area more fishable, especially if you are fishing from a small boat. Giant bluefin tuna can be found roaming throughout the Bay during the spring, summer and fall months. Needless to say the tuna have free reign over the Bay, however there are a few areas which seem to yield a greater number of tuna sightings and hookups than others.
The Fishing Ledge, which sits almost smack dab in the middle of Cape Cod Bay, is a good area to check out for tuna, especially while one is in transit to more reputable locations such as Peaked Hill Bar or Stellwagen Bank. The Ledge is situated more or less smack dab in the middle of Cape Cod Bay. When the wind is light and variable, we can easily access the Ledge in our 21 foot Hydra Sport. Unfortunately, if the seas begin to kick up, it is a smart decision for us to think about heading for the dock. However if the seas are glass calm, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for giant tuna cruising just beneath the water's surface.
Big tuna will often create a V-shaped wake as they cruise just inches under the Bay’s surface. It is possible to gauge the size of the tuna when they are cruising on the surface in this fashion. It may be smart to do so if you plan on targeting smaller tuna with lighter spinning setups. Although this is difficult to do, especially when the adrenaline is pumping.
During the summer of 2010, tuna in the 150 pound range could be found a few miles north of the Fingers outside Barnstable Harbor. Bluefins in the 150 pound range are much better suited for spin fishermen-compared to the 500 plus pound goliaths. Nevertheless larger specimens will sometimes be found mixed amongst the smaller guys.
The area referred to by old timers as the Square off Billingsgate may also be an area worth taking a ride too. A smart tactic would be to spend the early hours of the morning catching bluefish over the shoal, and then drifting the blues in the deeper water west of Billingsgate in the afternoon.
Many of the bluefish in this area are enormous. At first glance they may seem too big to use as bait.. These larger specimens of the bluefish population make prime bait for giant bluefins.
Fishing with Kites and Balloons
Using a kite is one of the most effective and exciting ways to catch a giant bluefin tuna. The kite keeps even large baits at the water's surface. This creates the scenario of a confused baitfish, swimming wildly on the ocean's surface. Fishing a kite is in some ways very similar to casting topwater plugs for striped bass and bluefish. The main difference is that the targeted tuna are around 300 times larger than the bass and blues caught on topwater plugs. There is no proper way to describe the massive topwater strikes that kites can generate.
Not overlooking the details is vital to successfully landing a big bluefin tuna. One loose knot, nicked rod guide, or faulty swivel will be quickly exploited by a big tuna. Double checking everything is a necessity.. Using braided line on Penn 80 or 130 conventional reels can really help a kite to fly high and strong even in a light breeze. Dropper lines set at intervals from the line running off the kite rod will help to decrease the severity of the angle of the main line running from the reel to the bait. “Bridling” baits can help to increase the longevity of precious live bluefish, pogies and mackerel.
Balloon fishing works well when there is no wind, or when an angler wants to target tuna at a specific depth. It is possible to cover the entire water spectrum by fishing a bait on a kite, and other baits under balloons. Choose a weight that is heavy enough based on wind and current condtions. Attach the weight a distance up from the live bait on the main line by way of an elastic band. If the depth you desire to place your bait at is 80 feet, then 80 feet of main line is paid out. A balloon is then attached 80 feet up from the live bait. Float the ballon away from the boat and start the drift.
September Striped Bass and Tuna Fishing at Cape Cod
Wha'ts better than fishing Cape Cod during September? In my opinion-not much at all. September fishing on the Cape is really a world class opportunity. 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.
September weather is also usually pretty nice. Again for starters, the humidity and the predominant southwest wind have eased a bit. 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. This rings especially true in Cape Cod Bay. A strong onshore wind will often light the fishing up in nearshore areas. Places like Scorton Ledge and Sandy Neck are two such places. The tube and worm is popular method as always in these areas, when targeting stripers.
Striped bass behavior changes during September. This is the month when bass on Cape Cod begin to stage for their southerly migration. Many of the stripers that you could not entice a single bite from during July will now hop all over a tossed offering. The bass become noticeably more aggressive as October approaches. During September, there is a good chance that if you find the bass, you will be able to catch them. "Lockjaw" does not seem to be as much as a problem during this month.
Finding the fish in the first place also becomes easier as September inches its way towards October. As October approaches, big schools of bass move closer to the beachfront. Of course bass are found throughout the year in close to shore, however greater numbers of fish seem to move closer to the beach throughout this month. Long trips spent fishing out deep in 60 plus feet of water are often times no longer necessary. Finding bass in these deeper areas is always more difficult than locating bass in shallow water. Spending time fishing and searching in 15-40 feet of water is the protocol during this time of the year.
Towards the end of the month, the bass will really put the feedbag on as they prepare for their southerly migration. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but I can not help but remember the great fishing we had during late September 2010. I'm crossing my fingers that we will have a repeat this year.
Giant tuna could be found surprisingly close to shore during the fall of 2010. We saw giant tuna in 70 feet of water off Sandy Neck (about 3-4 miles from the beach). We even hooked up with a giant tuna off the East End of the Cape Cod Canal during the third week in September. Even if you don't hook up, seeing tuna this close to shore is a treat in and of itself.
Big blues and snapper blues invade Cape Cod during September. Pefect tuna bait size bluefish (20 inches or so) will often be around in full force. If 10 plus pound bluefish are your target, than look no further than Cape Cod Bay. Race Point, Sandy Neck and Billingsgate Shoal all produce big bluefish during September.
Snappers on the other hand, infiltrate the estuaries and harbors on the south-side of the Cape. Ultra light tackle is the way to go. Small lures or minnows fished on micro sized spinning reels is a blast. Kids usually love catching snappers. The action can be fast and furious at times. These small bluefish taste great and also make good live bait for tuna.
Aside from giant tuna, bluefish and bass, many other species are also infiltrate the waters around Cape Cod during September. Bonito, false ablacore and school bluefin tuna, for example, can all be found swarming around Cape Cod throughout the month. Spanish mackerel are caught on occasion in Nantucket and Vineyard Sound during September. Mahi-mahi are routinely taken by anglers fishing farther offshore. Actually, many exotic species inhabit the offshore areas such as yellowfin tuna, blue and white marlin, bigeye tuna and a variety of sharks-to name just a few.
Cape Cod has many fantastic fishing opportunities. The fishing will only improve as September inches its way towards October. There will be many big fish taken whenever the weather allows. Colder days are ahead-now is the best time to wet a line on Cape Cod!
September weather is also usually pretty nice. Again for starters, the humidity and the predominant southwest wind have eased a bit. 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. This rings especially true in Cape Cod Bay. A strong onshore wind will often light the fishing up in nearshore areas. Places like Scorton Ledge and Sandy Neck are two such places. The tube and worm is popular method as always in these areas, when targeting stripers.
Striped bass behavior changes during September. This is the month when bass on Cape Cod begin to stage for their southerly migration. Many of the stripers that you could not entice a single bite from during July will now hop all over a tossed offering. The bass become noticeably more aggressive as October approaches. During September, there is a good chance that if you find the bass, you will be able to catch them. "Lockjaw" does not seem to be as much as a problem during this month.
Finding the fish in the first place also becomes easier as September inches its way towards October. As October approaches, big schools of bass move closer to the beachfront. Of course bass are found throughout the year in close to shore, however greater numbers of fish seem to move closer to the beach throughout this month. Long trips spent fishing out deep in 60 plus feet of water are often times no longer necessary. Finding bass in these deeper areas is always more difficult than locating bass in shallow water. Spending time fishing and searching in 15-40 feet of water is the protocol during this time of the year.
Towards the end of the month, the bass will really put the feedbag on as they prepare for their southerly migration. I'm getting a little ahead of myself here, but I can not help but remember the great fishing we had during late September 2010. I'm crossing my fingers that we will have a repeat this year.
Giant tuna could be found surprisingly close to shore during the fall of 2010. We saw giant tuna in 70 feet of water off Sandy Neck (about 3-4 miles from the beach). We even hooked up with a giant tuna off the East End of the Cape Cod Canal during the third week in September. Even if you don't hook up, seeing tuna this close to shore is a treat in and of itself.
Big blues and snapper blues invade Cape Cod during September. Pefect tuna bait size bluefish (20 inches or so) will often be around in full force. If 10 plus pound bluefish are your target, than look no further than Cape Cod Bay. Race Point, Sandy Neck and Billingsgate Shoal all produce big bluefish during September.
Snappers on the other hand, infiltrate the estuaries and harbors on the south-side of the Cape. Ultra light tackle is the way to go. Small lures or minnows fished on micro sized spinning reels is a blast. Kids usually love catching snappers. The action can be fast and furious at times. These small bluefish taste great and also make good live bait for tuna.
Aside from giant tuna, bluefish and bass, many other species are also infiltrate the waters around Cape Cod during September. Bonito, false ablacore and school bluefin tuna, for example, can all be found swarming around Cape Cod throughout the month. Spanish mackerel are caught on occasion in Nantucket and Vineyard Sound during September. Mahi-mahi are routinely taken by anglers fishing farther offshore. Actually, many exotic species inhabit the offshore areas such as yellowfin tuna, blue and white marlin, bigeye tuna and a variety of sharks-to name just a few.
Cape Cod has many fantastic fishing opportunities. The fishing will only improve as September inches its way towards October. There will be many big fish taken whenever the weather allows. Colder days are ahead-now is the best time to wet a line on Cape Cod!
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