The Best Sport Fishing on Cape Cod

Stripers, Blues, Albies & "Little Tunny" on Light Tackle

We do!

Catching Striped Bass

To my way of thinking, there's nothing like our spring and fall Striper runs.

(Well, maybe the Tarpon frenzy in Boca Grande Pass, or a big Sailfish bite off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. But I digress ...)

When the calendar turns to May, put a fishing rod in my hand and a soft plastic at the end of my line, and I'm about as happy a girl as you'll find anywhere.

Especially when I hear a huge tail "thwump", and a hole the size of a trash can opens up in the water. I love catching big Stripers in 18 inches of water!

The excellent thing about this fishery is that there are tons of places to go Striped Bass sport fishing on Cape Cod.

Try a fishing charter. Rent a sea kayak. Fish from the beach, off a jetty, or along the banks of the Canal. You've got a great chance of hooking into a nice one, wherever you are.

The Feisty, Feroceous Bluefish

Depending on water temps, mid-May usually brings our first bit-off lure. That's our clue that toothy Blues are back in town.

Of course, then it's decision time.

Do I tie on some wire leader and risk spooking the Stripers? Or keep going with fluorocarbon and risk donating my favorite Striper lures to lip jewelry for the Blues?

It's a good quandry, though. One that lasts right through the summer and well into autumn, with both Stripers and Blues cruising our salty waters in search of their next meal.

Heart-Pounding False Albacore and Bonito Fishing

Cast to them from shore, or get into your boat or kayak and chase them around the bay.

Any which way you get into them, False Albacore (and their cousins, the elusive and often frustrating Bonito, a/k/a "Little Tunny") put up a muscle burning fight on light spinning tackle or fly gear.

The Bonito usually make their first appearance in early summer, followed by the False Albacore sometime in August.

Hint: If you cast your lure into what looks like a school of Bluefish feeding on the surface, and you don't get hit - it's a good bet they're not Bluefish after all.

Get rid of your wire leader, tie on a small flashy lure, cast it in front of the school, and hang on. These little tuna hit like a freight train!

• Find a bait and tackle shop


• See where to rent a rod and reel


• Check and print a current tide chart (a "must-have" item for sport fishing Cape Cod!)


• Learn about Massachusetts Fishing License Requirements