Fishing Cape Cod Bay in the Heat of Summer

 

As weather heats ups and the waters of Cape Cod Bay begin to warm up, the feeding habits of our favorite summertime game fish begin to change. When the temperatures in the waters of Cape Cod Bay begin to rise into the mid 70 degree mark.most of the larger striped bass will begin to move off of the shallow feeding grounds of Brewster Flats and Billingsgate Shoal, to the deeper waters off Provincetown, Barnstable, and the East End of the Cape Cod Canal searching for cooler waters it is then that our fishing tactics need to change. The fish become lazy not really wanting to chase bait but rather wait for them to come to them by facing the tide and sticking to the bottom. The large surface poppers and other surface swimbaits that were so appealing to the bass earlier in the season just won't do the trick at this point. Because most of the larger forage has moved into cooler waters, their eye turns towards smaller baits and slower presentations. three knots, and your hook up ratio will increase also if you troll against the tide at your three knot speed. Keep your jigging motion consistent and hard, causing as much disturbance on the bottom as you can. Also adding a scented trailer such as an Otter Tail, can help increase your chance of a hookup

For those of us that love fishing the tube and worm on lead core, knowing that it almost never fails in our local waters, your technique doesn't really need to change all that much. One of the biggest changes you will want to make, will be in the tube itself,i usually use a weighted 24 inch tube most of the season, but when it starts warming up out there, i'll drop to a 12 inch weighted tube and generally with a silver spinner in front of it. Also, even though it can be hard to find large sea worms, try and get the largest ones you can get your hand on. Scent is everything. Your trolling speed matters here as well, 3 to 3.5 knots If you happen to see a pile of fish on your fishfinder, bump your boat out of gear and let the tube fall for a couple of seconds, then put it back into gear Almost always a guaranteed When it comes to wire line jigging the larger 5 ounce jigs that we were using earlier in the season probably won't get the job done anymore.Change out the larger jigs for a 3 ounce or even 2 ounce ig. I will also change to a lighter color Rg.such as white, pink and white,or red and yellow, GO SLOW. Your trolling speed needs to be kept in check,l recommend a top speed of no more than 2 knots .

When trolling swimming baits, it's the same process. I often use lead core line to get my baits as close to the bottom as possible. You can also switch to larger lipped diving lure, especially certified depth hures, knowing that your hare is running at the proper depth is vital to your fishing success. Most times you will need to troll a little faster to achieve total depth that the lure is designed to run, but , when you troll against the tide, the flow of the water will help to get your lure to the bottom so you can reduce your trolling speed.

Fishing Mojo Jigs - Although a relatively new way of fishing in the Northeast, it has been a tried and true method in the south for years. The technique consists of trolling a tandem jig, with a larger ball jig on the bottom and a smaller bullet jig trailing on the top. This technique is used when fish are hold in 25or more feet of water. Once again, this is a slow trolling technique to keep the jigs on the bottom. Despite the fact that jigs are being used, no actual jigging takes place.

These bigger jigs can produce some great fish in the cooler, deeper waters  when the surface temps are way too warm for Stripers.

Umbrella Rigs- whether you choose to fish a 4 arm or a six arm on lead core or wire line, be sure to use a good silver wobbling spoon. The increased flash and vibration will really increase your chances