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Consistently finding quality fish is a daunting task, particularly in our neck of the woods. It does not matter what species of fish is targeted, the opportunity to consistently find fish on each fishing trip is half the battle, and is the most important ingredient to a successful season. Locating fish among the 604 square miles of water that constitute Cape Cod Bay is quite like finding a needle within a haystack. Nantucket Sound to the south is not much more inviting. However it's possible to consistently locate quality fishing, no matter the time of year, atmospheric condition or the presence of bait, provided that a sound tactic is employed. In this day an age, consistently locating striped bass, when fishing Cape Cod, is heavily dependent upon the use of electronics. Finding a Place to Begin All of us love those days when diving birds and breaking fish lead the way to great fishing. Or those exceptional moments in the event the fishing report we read in yesterday’s newspaper rings true. If you are fishing Cape Cod then these instances are few and far between. The fact is that on most trips, we really do not have these luxuries. Additionally, often than not we are met with by stretches of seemingly dry water with no evidence as to where the bite is best. Which presents the problem, amidst all this wide open water, where do we begin? Applying the latest information possible is a sensible way to develop a place to begin. Let’s say the only facts we have is that last Saturday and Sunday a handful of nice bass were caught in 60 feet of water somewhere in Cape Cod Bay. Despite the fact that we are not supplied any precise intel by this account, the bit of data we are given (60 feet of water) is crucially necessary, taking into consideration the vastness of the Bay. Sixty feet of water shall be our place to start. Commencing the Search Cruising to a depth of 60 feet and instantly placing baits in the water isn't a good plan. The possibility that fish are going to be holding in the first spot we try, even if it is a well recognized hot spot,are certainly slim. Additionally, it is a waste of valuable time to troll around for several hours in 60 feet of water, wishing and praying to stagger across a fish or two. On another hand we can maximize our time and efficiency by taking a far more proactive strategy to finding stripers using our electronics. All that is needed is a well-performing color sonar unit. Systems worth thousands of dollars are nice, however a color unit purchased for a few hundred bills will perform just fine. The next action needed to regularly find fish is to determine what track to start the search. Say for instance you depart Barnstable Harbor,get to a depth of 60 feet, and know from practical experience you have done well to the west, in the area off Sandy Neck. In this situation it makes probably the most sense to commence our search by heading in a westerly course. Keeping an eye on the sonar, we’ll cruise west at a sensible speed-one that will permit us to clearly see fish markings on the sonar, whilst making it possible for us to cover plenty of water. For most units, a speed of around eight mph will work fine. Since the Bay is vast, and also for the most part, lacking any fish holding structure, we often may go miles without marking a single fish on the sonar. This is excellent news because we have eliminated miles of water that we may of wasted hours trolling through. When to Commence Fishing On some trips it may only take a few minutes to mark a bass on the sonar, and on other trips it may take several hours. However it is essential to not underestimate the importance of even just one single mark on the sonar. If you notice a definitive bass mark on the sonar, chances are that you have found one of hundreds of fish in the area. Striped bass are especially prone to spend time in large schools. During 2010 we found on various instances, schools of bass close to a mile in length. More often than not, that one mark on the screen, is but one of countless fish holding in the immediate vicinity. It is now time to put lines in the water and commence fishing. And if after fifteen or twenty minutes, there are no takes or more fish marked on the sonar, it is time to resume the search. It's often possible to uncover a school of say 20-40 pound stripers, and follow them for miles. Having said that, it is easy to lose the school if too much time is spent fishing in one place, and not enough time is spent using sonar to remain on top of the school. Breaking Free of Conventional methods A number of people when fishing Cape Codusually tend to get caught up on hammering the GPS coordinates from a successful past trip, or gravitating to well known hot spots or fleets of other boats. Frequently, lines will end up in the water despite no evidence of fish on the sonar. The reality is that fish are almost continuously on the move, and quite often move quickly. In wide open areas without structure and significant current,shelling out more time actively on the move, and a smaller amount time with lines in the water, will boost the probability of discovering a spot holding fish.
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