Striper Fishing from Shore on Cape Cod Massachusetts.... is it possible (2024)

I was on a family vacation this past week. Spent a week on the beaches of Cape Cod. I did not pack any of my fly fishing gear, this was a family trip so sneaking away to get my fish on would have gone over like a lead balloon.

Walking the beach with the wife and kids near the Bass River outlet, I met a few fisherman. They were doing okay. Not great, but they were able to hook into a few fish. I never did see any fly fisherman. So the question remains, can one Fly-fish from shore on the Cape for Stripers.

I will be heading back soon and need to know if packing my 7wt or 9wt makes sense… Not looking for specific areas, just a general yes or no. I am not sure if I can do it without a boat. Thanks in advance.

Absolutely yes. I've been doing it for a couple of weeks each spring for 24 years now. Your 9wt is the right choice.

Tight lines,
Bob

ABSOLUTELY YES.

While a boat obviously opens up a lot of options, stripers spend a ton of time within a few feet of land. They often feed literally right in the wash, or right behind the first wave from the beach. I fish the Massachusetts North Shore (Plum Island, Salisbury, Ipswich, Annisquam, etc.) a lot more than the Cape, but the same principles apply. There are times I can do a lot better than the gear guys. It's hard to fool the big bass in skinny water, but it can be done. Schoolies can keep you busy and entertained meanwhile. Summer can be slow unless you fish at night, but June or September/October could be very lively for you. You never know, though. Last August in three days at Salisbury, just fishing the early mornings and the scraps of moments between family vacation things, I caught fifty stripers, all from dry land.

As for places -- Chatham used to be a lot better before the seal/shark invasion. Be careful if you go there.

Gear -- I've done it on 7, 8, and 9wt, but I prefer the 9 both because there's always the chance of huge fish, and because punching heavy and/or bulky flies into the wind is often part of the deal. I just got back from a week in Maine; I brought three rods but the 9 was the only one I even unpacked.

Have fun -- in the last few years stripers have become my hands-down favorite fishing.

I used to go to Chatham for years every summer, but it was before I fly fished. I did use artificial lures back then and walked in to places to fish shore edges or waded. Looking back, some of those spots probably would have worked well with fly gear.

On the Atlantic beaches, if I remember it right, south beach in Chatham is or was a place to walk in. The stripers would be right in the break or just outside. Back then I used walk the dog style topwater plugs and those provided consistent action on fish around 24-28”. I don’t remember making long casts. This was just as the seals were making a comeback so it might have changed by now. Probably about this time of year.

I used to walk Ridgevale beach, I think that’s the name, on Nantucket sound in Chatham. There it was bluefish in close early in the morning. There was also a little tidal river there and that had summer flounder and occasional small stripers in it.

Most of the fishing I did was from a boat and the waters around Chatham were filthy with fish much of the time. The guys I fished with like to troll and jig massive lead head jigs on wire line for stripers around the riptides. Many times, the fish would be massacring bait at the surface and I would beg them to stop and let me cast a topwater into the mix. It was always fish on if we did. A fly rod would be perfect for that kind of action.

CutThroat Leaders said:

I will be heading back soon and need to know if packing my 7wt or 9wt makes sense… Not looking for specific areas, just a general yes or no. I am not sure if I can do it without a boat. Thanks in advance.

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Nope, no fish there. Don't even try

Striper fishing from shore is on my bucket list. Only the area I'd like to fish is Maryland, I have relatives there. Going to research this for fun. Another good reason to head out and see the grandkids!

Denny

Statistically, Massachusetts has the finest striper fishing ... anywhere
If you want to catch a big striped bass on the fly, go to Cape Cod.
On one beach that we fished last month, besides my buddy and myself there was in the neighborhood of 200 seals, 3 whales, one spin fisherman (a local), a fly fanatic from Ireland, and three other fly fishers from Norway
The Europeans are better aware of this fishery than most NewEnglanders
In the past, we used to run into great quantities of guys from the UK. There were organized tours and you still see some of these same guys that come over every year.

We've been doing a week or more at the Cape annually since 1994 and over the years have targeted over 40 distinct locations.
Tide, wind, light levels (and parking tickets!) dictate where to fish, Some places are only prime for a few minutes.
I gotta say... I never go in the summer. It's not prime fishing season and there's too many tourists.
May June September October, with the moon tides of June being ideal.
If you want to fish in the summer, make it at night.
There are big fish in the full sun summer surf, but it's all sight fishing and a newbie won't have a lot of luck.