striper noob needing input....please !!!

[FISH ON 1111]

Hello all! First I would like to thank everyone on this site for imparting their wisdom, help, and expertise to others like myself who may be new to striper fishing. Its VERY refreshing to find a forum site nowadays where people are not being verbally abused for their questions and opinions.

I am in no way a noob when it comes to fishing as my typical fall is spent in upstate New York catching trophy salmon, steelhead, and browns from the rivers. But striper fishing is completely new to me and it seems that I have quite a bit to learn regarding tactics, tides, forage etc.

So on to my question; I realize the fall run is about to begin and I intend to make the Cape my hunting grounds as I am from Western Mass. So I was wondering if anyone would be willing to point me in the general direction with regard to decent locations, no specifics, as i realize this is against the rules, but just some general advice as to where to start.

I was planning to start down in the Woods Hole area and work my way east along the south shore and learn as i go.

Good Idea?
Bad Idea?
Better ideas?

Any input to assist my learning curve would be greatly appreciated and if anyone is interested in salmon or steely info I would be happy to assist.

Thanx in advance and...Sorry for the marathon post.

[Tailgunner]

Will you be shore fishing or from a boat?

Night eels are a good idea.
Tube and worm is another.

Using small scup is a bad idea. Local charter Capt was just turned in yesterday for using them.

From what I saw yesterday, stomachs are filled with firecracker squid. Hard to match the hatch with those.

[Roccus]

First off ,welcome to the sight.

Fall is an interesting time of the year,it can be fast and furious or quite maddening.

I'll assume, that your looking to fish the surf, at night, eels,cut herring or mackerel, large swimming plugs with a soft plastic dropper or porkrind work well for both large and small fish...by day, soft plastics and tins,like hopkins, castmaster and deadly dicks as well as bucktail jigs work well....always have a surface plugs/pencil poppers handy, breaking fish are common and a popper worked into the fray will usualy draw a strike...

As for area, the cape beaches are vacated after labor dayyou will have to talk to the local tackel shop or read the lattest rteport to find the hot one, the canal, although hard to fish can be a fishemans dream.....

[FISH ON 1111]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I will be fishing from the surf. I guess i was really just wondering if starting down in the Woods Hole area was a good spot to start. I will also try the canal but in the surf there is just something about the sand and the sound of the waves that makes fishing that much more enjoyable...If thats possible LOL.

[Roccus]

then fish the beach.... Head of the meadow in Trurro is my personal favorite....

[FISH ON 1111]

Thanks Roccus, next dumb question, where is the head of the Meadow LOL. Sorry I have only been to the cape a few times. Would I go over the Bourne Bridge and get on 28 or??

[Roccus]

Mid cape highway 6...

[FISH ON 1111]

Oh so its bay side, i was thinking it was on the other shore.

Thanks

Any bait shops you would recommend near there?

[Roccus]

cant help you with a bait shop, I usualy only fish there late in the fall, after my boat is pulled( I fish out of the Merrimack all summer), I'm fishing late at night and have eerything I need... there are some guy's more local that can help you out....

[FISH ON 1111]

ok, thanks for the help!!

[jimi4290]

there are a ton of bait shops along 6/28 in wareham/bourne. i usually come from the north off 495 which turns to 25, i take exit 1 off 25...that takes me to the 6/28 strip where there are lots of shops. its also a good starting point at the west end of the canal(near the marritime academy) from there you can work the west end,move along the canal east and cross the sagamore near scusset and work east to west on the cape side of the canal. i can tell you the canal can be really hard to fish, but it can also be very rewarding... so i have heard and seen, however i am still waiting for my cow to come from the ditch. its a real slap in the face when a guy 20 yds from you lands a 48" cow and you get skunked using the same friggin bait. i can say there are a lot of places at each end of the canal, coves and such that are really good at night with eels. read as many posts you can find from roc and you can learn a lot of really good stuff, hes no joke.

[FISH ON 1111]

Thanx Jimi, I will try that area as well. I can see I will be putting some miles on the 4-runner this fall. LOL

[diamondd]

originally from nantucket...now I make a run from the lake george area in upstae ny to RI......can't beat the access and ease, not to mention the cheap places to crash....we head to misquamicut area.....the beaches at night, the breachways, the points at sunrise...all easy to get to and actually a shorter drive for you......

-e-mail me and maybe we can make a run together some friday afternoon...


you aint lying about those steelheads!!!!! Enought to make you give up hunting in the early fall!


[email protected]

[FISH ON 1111]

Diamond, yeah steelhead fishing is one of the highlights of my fall and theres nothing like it, 20+lb fish on a 12ft noodle rod with 6lb test

I am hoping that striper fishing will give me the same enjoyment, perhaps more because I can be in the surf. The sound of waves breaking just does something to people, myself included and makes life seem really good :)

I sent you an email about getting together and I am pretty much available every weekend to go pretty much anywhere. Hell, last year on several occasions I made the 4+ hr drive up to Oswego just to fish for the day, then drove back home the same night. Ugh