Directions:

Look back at the map above and find where Route 6 crosses the channel which is where Buttermilk Bay and Little Buttermilk Bay (to the north) intersect. When you come to the light go through it and half-way around the rotary heading west on Route 6. Just before you get to the bridge on the right you'll find an area near a defunct restaurant where you can sneak in to park. If you are going to fish here after work go over the bridge and you probably can park in the small parking lot on the right after the bridge. Don't go any further or you will get kicked out by a mean woman with no teeth.

The Fishing:

Take a walk on the bridge and check out the situation. Looking off to the left you'll see the fishhouse which has a concrete lip aound the water line, which, if the tide is too high, you can stand on. You can wade around the building but be careful. There are pieces of metal in the water to trip over, fall in and drown. One of my first largest stripers was caught on the left side of the fishhouse. Anyway, if you see fish breaking obviously go to them, if not, first try the "beach" side on the right. Wading is easy with a firm sand bottom and fish often will push bait right up to the shore. First light is always a good time to check this spot. Remember to cast upcurrent of any slashes and let the fly drift into the action before stripping. Often you'll find that your line will tighten before you even have a chance to strip. You can just move deeper into Little Buttermilk Bay on a search but don't forget to try right where the water comes out from under the bridge regardless of which side you're fishing from.

Cross over the bridge and get yourself near the northern abutment and cast regardless of current direction. Roll casting may be in order here. Wade out from the riprap near the paved area. Be careful because it does get deeper. However, at lower tides you can wade out quite a ways to fish in the channel. Work to the left around the building but be aware that there is one large rock, obvious at low tide, to lose a fly on and that the bottom doesn't drop but is relatively flat as far as you can cast. The channel is closer to the beach side. If you have low enough water try to get a few casts at the marina docks to your left. Stripers will hide out under any structure waiting to ambush an unsuspecting tidbit. I wouldn't waste too much time here, fan some casts around in a searching pattern.

Also, cross the road and get down to the bridge abutment on the west side of the bridge. I have had fabulous fishing from that spot in the evening with a lot of current. Very often bait will hold between the bridge and the railroad bridge and casts that swing in the current will bring vicious strikes.

Directions:

Traveling from the mainland go over the Bourne Bridge and take the first right off of the rotary. This is Shore Road and you can see by the following map that Back River crosses that road. Follow the main road until you see water on the left. that is Eel Pond. There is a restaurant right before the bridge and you can park near the bushes right before the restaurant. Please do not block the driveway leading to the back of the restaurant or the driveway to the commercial fish company. We don't want to lose any more access than we already have.

Eel Pond: Look across the road from where you park first to see if there are any swirls in the pond itself. If you arrive at high tide you may see action in the pond. This is a primo spot to launch your canoe and check out the pond. There are islands way up in the pond to explore. The deepest part is off toward the far shore. Relatively near that far shore there are some large rocks that will hold fish on a moving tide. At any time near slack high tide the fish could be disbursed throughout the pond or only in one spot. At first light the fish will probably be pushing the bait into one localized spot to attack them. The stripers will not necessarily hold in one spot for long so get the canoe over to them as soon as possible to intercept them. Bring an anchor to hold your canoe stationary to take advantage of holding fish if that is the case, however. Wading directly into the pond from the road will not be possible at high tide, too deep and too soft a bottom. Instead, try the rocks at the bridge when there is either incoming or outgoing tide. If the flow is too heavy to get much of a sink on your fly just cast and let the current take the fly with it and when it nears the end of the swing start your strip. If you have outgoing tide and the tide is three-quarters the way out, wade in and cast to the rocks that are located about 50 feet above the bridge. There is a deeper channel on the near side of the rocks and fish hold there. Definitely work your casts towards the bridge and let the fly swing under the bridge as well. When the pond empties the fish go with the tide but hold just ten or so feet upcurrent of the bridge to grab bait that is being flushed out of the pond.

You can also take the canoe up the right channel of the pond to explore around the islands. This area will be much more productive when the tide is more towards full.

Behind The Restaurant: Walk around the back of the restaurant and you will be between the bridge to your left and a railroad bridge to your right. This area can often be the most productive spot on the river. The problem is that unless the tide is close to dead low or dead high the force of the current is massive, much too heavy for the flyfisher. However, if you hit it right cast appropriately for the fly to sink deep and strip. There are rocks towards the far side and if you can cast far enough you will snag them, especially at low tide. On outgoing don't forget the area towards the railroad abutment, the usual, let the fly drift under the bridge and strip. Explore all areas between the two bridges.

Between The Railroad Bridge And The Point: Standing on the railroad bridge, watch for trains of course, you have two choices. Start by crossing the railroad bridge and walk on the shoreline downstream. You should utilize the cast and walk method. Make a cast, take a few steps and start you strip. Continue down towards the mouth of the river until you have gone as far as you can without standing on someone's lawn. Remember, you have the rightto walk up to the high water mark while you are fishing. The grass drops of straight down when the tide is full and the fish will often hold right along the shoreline. Cast out into the middle, let it swing while you give some small, three inch, strips and let it swing right to the shoreline and continue stripping the fly back to your standing position. This will be a successful technique whether it is incoming or outgoing tide. I have caught both stripers and bluefish in broad daylight in the middle of the river at higher tides. If you encounter low water conditions you are better off to head for the point using the path on the other side of the river. Don't forget the large pool just below the railrod bridge, better fished from the right side looking downstream from the railroad bridge. Let your fly go as deeply as possible when fishing that pool.

If you arrive near dark with low water conditions, try between the bridges first and then get into the stream below the island/bar that is in the center of the river just below the railroad bridge. Fish will be heading out or heading in at dark. This fishing is as close to trout fishing as it gets in salt water, fish will be in the river in low water at dark but will most likely not be there in the daylight. Just cast across and strip after is has had a couple of seconds to sink, just like streamer fishing in your favorite river. I'm sure someone will see a keeper in the river in low water in the day and say: "What is that Capt. Ted, stupid?", well it does happen. A golden rule for you: if you are walking near the salt water keep your eyes open because anything is possible. Sometimes there is only a subtle water movement to divulge cruising or feeding fish, the more you watch the water the more you will become adept at spotting fish. And don't forget a quality pair of polarized sunglasses.

The Point: Instead of crossing over the bridge, follow the right bank down to where you can get a decent backcast. On your way down you could stop at the little pipe with an outflow and try some casts across and downstream. When you reach the backcastable (good word?) area with a lot of water you are in the spot where your chance of bigger fish is possible. The water take a wide swing here with the deeper channel , as always, located on the further side. On outgoing, cast a litle upstream, let it drift deep and strip when it is is a little downstream of your position with the opposite being appropriate for incoming tide. When the river narrows up is often the most productive area. Always, and I mean always, unless you see breaks way out, make short casts first gradually lengthening your casts. You will often be suprised at how close stripers may be to where you're standing. At the rivers narrowest point, rocks which hold fish are located on the far side. Always try here and don't give up too quickly, remember, all the fish that go in or out of the river have to pass right in front of you where they wil have a hard time resisting your properly presented fly, cast by a veritable expert caster. Caution is warranted here because the sand can be quite loose due to the strong curent on both tides so if you're here at especially high outgoing becareful you don't wade too deep.

As you can see this area is quite diverse and, yet folks, the best is yet to come. Try to get there when the tide is almost all the way out but still flowing. Try the narrows and then walk straight out into the bay with the current. There is a long and wide shallow area right in front of you, even if you're in the area at night as long as the tide's out you have no fear of boat traffic because the bar is too shallow. Cast off to the left as you walk until you reach another set of rocks on the far side right where an obvious drop off is encountered. These rocks often hold the largest fish that don't even go up the river at all. Cast all along the rock and continue your casts all the way to your right into what I call the "Bowl". You will see that it deepens in the Bowl and fish will cruise all around in that area. Try searching patterns all around the area. Whenever you fish slower water let the fly sink. I can't stress this enough as stripers usually do not swim at the surface, they meander along the bottom always searching for morsels of food.

If you arrive at the point at high tide try walking off to the right around the shoreline towards the private dock. Cast as you walk especially around the dock; structure, remember? This is a simple cast out, let sink and strip situation.

Back River is one of the most diverse wading spots on the Cape, so don't pass it up.

Directions:

Back on Shore Road again heading south about 2.4 miles takes you to the Pocasset area which besides being wadeable is also an excellent canoe area. Park on the left side just before the bridge where there is a large dirt area. The water will be on your left.

The Fishing:

The Pond: This area is similar to Back River in that there is a canoe/wading area on the left near the parking area. At first light the fish generally push bait to, where else?, the far bank where the channel is located. If the tide isn't full you can wade close enough to reach but the bottom is varied and proceed catiously. There are a few oyster shell bars on the way across providing a good place to stand. You can just go over the bank noting the paths already there that have been used by people dragging their canoes over the bank. Wade straight in far enough to clear a backcast. You could also wade up into the pond towards the railroad bridge where you will find a deep hole. If you put in a canoe you can get above the bridge with a small portage over the tracks if the tide is too high to sneak under.

Many people will tell you that you can't catch stripers except at sun up, sun down and the middle of the night. Well I'm here to tell you boys and girls that it just ain't true. I stood at the small point just upstream of the bridge in the middle of the day and landed over 60 stripers. Now I'm not saying they were all keepers but they were all fun. If you are only after keepers grab your surf rod and some dead fish and prepare to sit in the sand or on the banks of the Canal.

When the tide is low enough, get into the pond and wade as far from shore as you can and do a searching pattern moving when you have adequately covered an area. Careful, the bottom has some soft spots.

When you can wade towards the bridge on outgoing, place casts across and under the bridge and strip. This is the same situation as under the bridges at Back River as well as any other bridge structure. The water is deeper here than at Back River so it may hold more or larger fish.

The Channel: To fish below the bridge you will need a canoe except for the mouth of the jetty which I will cover later in this section. Check the above map and you will find that there is a deep hole just below the bridge. There usually isn't too much boat traffic and they will have to travel slowly anyway due to the close proximity of all the boats in their slips. Hang around in this obvious hole which stretches from the bridge to just about twenty feet below the large pilings which define the slips. Cast towards the pilings, let it sink and strip. Let it really sink because it is quite deep. There usually are fish in this area. Try not to hook the wood too deeply or your fly is history. Traveling towards the mouth, just keep checking everywhere for fish, especially in the cove under any of the floating docks. Any dock whether floating or stationary is likely to hold stripers. Heading right to the jetties at the mouth, you can land the canoe on either side in a little sandy area. If you're there for any length of time make sure to set an anchor just in case the tide rises to float the canoe, you don't want to swim for it.

The Jetties: Jetty techinques are simple, cast way up current and don't strip until the fly is as deep as possible. You may also find fish pushing bait up against the rip rap, then it's easy pickings just cast into the slashes and you will be on. The southern, longer jetty is better to fish from as you have the added benefit of fishing out into Buzzards Bay on an outgoing tide letting it do the big swing before starting the strip. I know that I have said that if the fishing is slow, move fast, but I have found that jetties can awaken quickly. Sometimes the fish are waiting for the food supply to be thick enough to attack, when that happens all hell breaks loose into what you hope is great fishing. I would not hang around here at dead low tide because in a narrow shallow channellow tide is usually not very productive. Narrow channels need bait and current to attact stripers.

The Beach: Beachfront property owners are usually unforgiving towards the fishermen when we fish on "their" piece of sand. They have incorrectly interpreted their property rights. As I have stated, we can fish and walk up to the high tide mark no matter what the sign says. So walk over towards the dock and fish along the way. Fish cruise the beaches. This isn't always easily discernable from shore as compared to the height a boat provides the angler. The angle between your eyes and the water helps keep the fish hidden, too much refraction, but they are there at all but the lowest tides. Keep walking and casting until you score. There is also another access point to this beach area. Drive across the bridge and take a right on Wings Neck Road, right on North Shore road until it ends, right on Wenaumet Bluff Road, look for a plaque type of sign on the left. There is a path there that is what towns on the Cape call a "Town Landing". Parking on the Cape is in short supply but as long as you don't violate any signage you are legal. Walk to the beach and right to the southern jetty and do your stuff.

Directions:

Get back on Shore Road heading south until it intersects with with County Road, take a right on County Road, go about 1.25 miles and take a right on Route 28A. Go about 1.5 miles and you come to an intersection with Route 151 on the left, go right at this intersection. You'll see a ballfield on your left and a foreign car garage on your right, pretty much right at the garage the there is a little hill, go up it and stay on the road right to a parking lot on the left at Megansett Harbor. Usually you can park there without a problem before the tourists get heavy but thereafter the town won't let you park until after the summer. However, the fishing is great here all season so look for places to park on the road leading to the harbor. When you think about it, what's a few parking tickets when it comes to quality fishing anyway? You can get to this spot easily from Route 28 either North or South by taking the Route 151 exit and heading away from Falmouth towards Buzzards Bay. By the way, pick up a copy of a street map of the Cape before you head down to familiarize yourself with all the directions on this web page. I suggest the street atlas produced by Arrow entitled: "Official Arrow Street Atlas Cape Cod including Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket", the best $13.95 you can spend for getting around the Cape.

The Fishing:

The Jetty: If the tide is up you should check the Jetty first as you can cover a lot of water from the rocks. I always used to subscribe to the belief that the largest fish are always the farthest out from shore. This isn't always true but I just can't seem to get the idea out of my head, the end of the jetty does hold the most opportunity as you have three directions in which to cast. The fish could be anywhere along the Buzzards Bay side of the jetty so the smart move is to cast, walk another 5 rocks and cast again until you reach the end of the jetty where the Osprey's nest is located. Great photography opportunity with the ospreys. The piling under the nest is always a good place to search around until you finally hook it and lose your favorite fly. The end of the jetty is probably best fished at outgoing tide as the stripers will hang to the left of the end of the jetty to do their interception routine. They won't remain there when the tide is really low, however. If you arrive at the jetty before sunup or after dark the fish could be in shallow water within two feet of the jetty.

The prevailing winds in the summer, generally westerly, push the fly right back in your face when facing towards Buzzards Bay, so use the outgoing current to help get the fly out as far as you can. I have been known to use the current to take the fly all the way out into the backing a great technique which also saves your casing arm some effort.

You will see alternating light and dark areas off the bay side of the jetty, if you can get your fly there you will meet with more success than a shoter cast. The bait may be hiding in one or more of these locations which are small depressions in the bottom. Stripers will always take advantage of any cover or available structure to lie in wait for a meal even depressions or depth changes of six inches. If you connect on two or more consecutive casts and the action stops, immediately head back to shore 20 or 30 feet and try again. When stripers are on the move they will acclimate to structure lines and follow that contour as they begin their searching pattern for more food. In this way you may be able to anticipate their movement, intercept them and keep connected with the school.

When you first walked out on to the jetty you should have noticed a bit of sand hugging the right side which got progressively further under water as you traveled along. I have had no luck right where the jetty begins at the beach but usually meet with increasing success the farther out you walk. When the tide is low the success rate on the bayside will drop off and the inside harbor side will hold fish out towards the end of the jetty. If the water is low enough slip into, not fall into, the water at the end of the jetty and start to fan casts right off the end of the jetty working right. Off towards the right, looking towards the dock, there is a deep hole that holds fish even at dead low tide.

The Dock: If you're here early or late in the season or early or late in the day then you should be lucky enough to avoid boat traffic or the dreaded tourists of Cape Cod. Remember, flyfishers, no matter where they are, are not considered tourists until the rods are stowed, the waders come off and they succumb to the irresistible draw of the Christmas Tree Shops.

Walk right down the ramp and cast parallel to the dock progressively farther on each cast as well as letting it sink longer on each cast. Remember, if the fish aren't showing on the surface then they, if they are there at all, are deep, following the bottom contour. You should also try casting under the dock as well. Here's where your fabulous casting expertise is tested. I once pulled twenty fish, as well as one keeper, out from under the dock. Watch the direction and velocity of the current so as to avoid hooking the pilings.

Try both sides of the dock and then work your way left to right across the "beach" area casting as you walk. If it's daytime watch your backcast for little kids, this is a place that people take the little tykes for a dip as well as swimming lessons. There will be many moorings in this area so watch your casts to avoid snags and swearing. The occasional keeper is caught here. Work your way to the little fallen apart jetty that is located just about at the end of the moorings.

The Hole: This is a very cool place. The hole is located just above the little fallen apart jetty. Step over the jetty and walk into the water and inland about twenty feet and you will find where the bottom drops off a little cliff into a deep hole of darker water. This hole is a fish magnet which is best fished about halfway into an outgoing tide. This abyss in the "river" holds bait that is beating a hasty retreat from the dropping tide and provides a great ambush location for the stripers. The stripers will also stay in the hole throughout the dead low tide. The current and water level must drop enough so that you can safely wade this area. If the current is too strong, then while you are waiting for it to slow, fish up to the right farther, which I will describe later. If you park and survey the tide direction and level and it is right for the hole then fish the jetty but don't linger and instead head for this hole because you don't want to hit the hole after the tide is already at dead low if you can avoid it. Cast upcurrent of the hole and let the fly drift and sink into the hole, there is no way you can let it sink too long so take your time and be patient before starting the strip. Lengthen the casts in the usual way. As the tide drops, walk out into the river upcurrent of the hole and cast even farther across. It is deep and pretty wide, so poke around and explore the area thoroughly. Do not get too close to the edge of the drop off, the sand is very loose and you could easily be swept into the hole. Be careful. The channel above the hole is on the far side so after you have caught all the fish in the hole walk towards the far side and cast into the deeper channel to find even more fish.

The Other Hole: Above the deep hole about 100 feet is the hole at the bend in the "river". Cast upcurrent depending on the direction of the flow, let it sink and bang, fish on. A lot of fish are taken in this area. Nothing special here. If you have read this page from the beginning then you know what to do.

Try the water down from the hole on the way out. A little lesson. Fish move into an area and move out, in, out, in, out and then in again. The point is that even if you don't score in a location that has reasonable depth to it on the way in try it again on the way out. The fish hang with structure but they have to travel from one place to another and you want to try everywhere all the time. This proviso does not apply to really skinny water especially in the daytime, water of 1 foot or less. You might see fish moving through shallow water in the day but they probably will be booking and not feeding, although a fish that is traveling slowly might be tempted to strike if you lead it far enough and don't spook it with either your false casts or the fly hitting the water. At night you should keep a watchful eye on any water regardless of depth because of the striper's tendancy to move in closer to shore under the cover of darkness.

Directions:

The easiest way is probably to get back on Route 28A and look for the first sign that says "Old Silver Beach". Get off the exit and go straight which is Curley Bvld. Stay right on this road for about a mile and you will see a parking lot on the right, then a bridge which crosses over Herring River and another parking lot on the right. Pull into this lot and you're there.

The Fishing:

The Channel and Bridge: As far as the channel and bridge are concerned you have to consider the tide as pretty important. If you have an outgoing tide then you can't arrive too late because all the fish will be long gone. The best is from half incoming all the way to half outgoing. The channel is fished just like any narrow channel, just cast upcurent and let it sink and strip. Consider that all the fish that get up into the river have to contend with this fifteen foot wide chute so you could have a slug of fish and then nothing for a while. Definitely, if you're right handed, cross the bridge and cast up under the bridge especially in the area nearest you lengthening the casts to just the far edge of the bridge. There are rocks under the bridge so be a little careful and watch for people on the jetty behind you. This area as well as the jetty and the beach are always more fun to fish early season and early in the morning to avoid the crowds, and don't forget the rainy days.

The Jetty and Beach: When the tide is full walk down the jetty from the bridge and fish as you go until you reach the end where you should let the outgoing tide carry your fly as far out as you want to be stripping in line. The end of the jetty is a good place to be on outgoing because the bait is being flushed out of the river and the fish are there waiting for the party. If you're lucky then you have an east wind coming offshore behind you, but don't count on it. Most likely the wind is in your face like always. I use a nine weight most of the time to fight the breeze but if the wind is offshore an eight will be fine. The bottom on the beach is all hard sand and at low tide you will be suprised how far from the beach you can wade. The spring is probably the best time to be here, fewer people more fish. When I'm guiding up on Mashnee flats on the boat and the action slows I usually take a swing to Old Silver Beach to check it out especially on a east breeze. By the way, did you know that when it is an east wind the wind is coming from the east and an east current is going towards the east? A little sea lore for you. Walk down the beach taking 20 or 30 steps between casts to fully cover the area. I have shore guided here and taken many large fish as have my clients.

If you see birds diving or even circling then hightail it to them quickly to get into position to score. Undoubtedly the birds are our best friends helping us to spot fish, sometimes even if they abruptly turn their heads while flying by they have given you a clue to the fish's whereabouts. Always, always, always watch the birds.

When the wind is behind you and the water has been flattened closely examine the water for fish. If you only look for splashes you will miss all the other subtle clues disclosing the fish'e whereabouts. Swirls that don't break the surface, tiny wakes and nervous water will be something you, with time, will be able to spot a mile away. The first time I ever fished for stripers I fished with a guide that stood 20 feet from me and kept telling me where the fish were located without a splash to be seen. I didn't believe what he was telling me until I caught fish. Soon you will develop the skill to do so, all it takes is practice and time on the water.

If you know fish are in front of you and your fly comes ambling sheepishly back to you after every "perfect" cast, try varying your strip long before changing flies. Slowing up the strip is usually the first change I make. Make two strips and stop to let the fly sink, you will find that a significant number of fish are hooked on a dead drifted sinking fly be it during an interrupted strip or on the initial sink when the cast is made. Your adrenaline is raging when you first find fish and start casting then eventually you become accustomed to the melee, slow down, and start to breath again recovering your wits. If the fish are busting bait at your feet in two feet of water you probably need nothing special in your strip, just get it over the fish and strip, that's it and that's fine. But when they are in water even five feet deep you may have to vary the strip. And don't forget to let that fly sink.

The River: The best time to fish the River is close to full tide. If you see the Herring River at low tide you'll see why, there's no water in it! The fish will come in when there's plenty of depth and leave as soon as they think the water is heading out to Buzzards Bay. Makes sense to them, so don't waste your time fishing here under the wrong conditions. There might be fish on the beach at any time but the same is not true for tidal rivers that almost go dry at low tide. Fish the river like you would a trout stream, undercut banks, deep holes and the deeper outside bends. I find that shorter strips of 3 or 4 inches are more effective in the small rivers rather than longer more attention getting big water strips. Also consider that the baitfish that go in the tidal streams of this size are smaller so choose a smaller more drab fly rather than a white deceiver or yellow clouser, although I've used both in smaller sizes with success. Try flies no longer than two and on-half inches, like a brown shrimp imitation. The river is a great place to start a saltwater flyfishing career (addiction) because even an extreme novice caster can catch fish in such a small limited area. Work your way inland as far as you feel like it. I have fished here when it has been fish-a-go-go and other times when it's dead. Such is the game of saltwater fishing.

The Directons:

Moving on down the road, now named Quaker Road, about 1.1 miles you'll see a right called Little Island Road. Stay right on this as it narrows into a sand road through dense foliage which then opens to a one lane sand road across a narrow strip of land to Little Island. This Island is open to the public, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If there's a person sitting in a beach chair he is dealing with the small parking area just before the road goes over to the Island, just drive by him smiling. Be aware that the road over to the island is not maintained and you should have a four wheel drive to ensure that you don't get stuck, although I have driven across in my pickup in two wheel so you probably could make it in a front wheel drive but be forewarned. Go to the pebble parking lot and turn around when you get there because you may get too hemmed in later by other vehicles. You are allowed to go all over the island as you will read by the sign. Please abide by all the rules and pick up some trash while you're there. We should all get into the habit of doing that anyway. I have always been annoyed by the slobs that leave litter behind but not annoyed enough to leave it there.

The Fishing:

Parking Lot Beach: Different spots on Little Island fish well at different tides. Low tide being right for the small flat right to the North of where your vehicle is parked. I'm not saying that there are no fish on the beach at high tide I just like it at low and have had more success under that condition. There will be someone out there who has been successful at high tide. Remember, every spot will have fish at some time. There is a dropoff that becomes obvious by the color change, the green stuff is deeper. Just walk right to the beach from the parking lot in to your waist and cast. I have caught stripers and blues in this area, I also have hit a small rock with my prop. Rocks, however, also hold bait and stripers. Bear in mind that looking back behind you towards the beach there are small depressions in the sand, if you wait too long to back out then you might find the water just coming over your waders, not a drowning situation but certainly uncomfortable. When wading I always bring a change of clothes planning for such an event or a dunking caused by tripping on a rock. The technique for this area is still the old cast, let it sink and strip senario.

When I shore guided many of my decisions regarding location were dictated by wind direction. As I have stated the predominate wind direction in summer is SW. This beach area is just enough behind Little Island to sneak out of the wind. West wind is the real enemy as it will be in your face in most places bordering Buzzards Bay and Little Island is no exception.

Brings me to the point, well it doesn't really bring me anywhere but I just felt like it was time to voice my opinion on something. There are no fabulous secrets to striper fishing as far as stripping is concerned. Many people strip differently but are all trying to entice the same fish and all are successful to some extent. The people I have seen that score more than others are not locked in to a particular method of striping to the exclusion of all others. If it doesn't work vary it. The only method I do not use and see no sense in is putting the rod under the arm and stripping with both hands. I have never seen people catch any more fish using this method than the more traditional one hand strip. It has the disadvantage of not being able to control the rod on a strike and having to grab it out from under your arm, I've seen people drop the rod many times. They argue that the fly is taken better when stripped really quickly using the underarm strip method, maybe, but not by my research. I have spent many many hours on my boat in windless, high sun conditions with hundreds of square feet of feeding stripers right in plain view allowing extreme clarity and enhanced fish watching opportunites. (Sounds great doesn't it?) I have experimented utilizing all different types of drops and strips to see what is more successful and I have never seen that the super fast strip is any more effective than the standard one hander. What I have seen is that stopping the fly during the strip is usually a turn off so keep the fly moving.

Let's get back to the fishing.

West Falmouth Harbor: Take the foot path that borders the vegetation on the East side of Little Island towards the jetty. Looking to the left is W. Falmouth Harbor. I have fished up in the Harbor with my boat and there are certainly times when fish are way up inside slashing bait to beat the band. When the tide is in the little beach that borders the East side of the jetty hold cruising fish. Utilize your standard cast and walk technique. There is seaweed on the bottom so watch out you don't lose too many flies, although most weeds will break before your leader will if using at least 12 pound test. All the grass is like a bait magnet so there is usually plenty of food to draw in the stripers and often small blues. If the tide is well in then you will not be able to walk the beach all the way to the end of the jetty but eventually have to climb and walk on top.

Some of the jetty is comprised of rocks with a coarse texture making the traverse easy, others are extremely slippery due to slime or vegetation. Safety notice: Anytime you climb over rocks you have to maintain your concentration on the walking not the fishing. I would never suggest sneakers be worn and waders at a minimum should be felt soled, better yet, slip on Korkers. The carbide studs will save you from broken bones and more importantly broken equipment, but even with Korkers tread very slowly over any rocks because if you step on thick seaweed which prevent the studs from contacing rock you will slip.

Jetty: This is probably the best spot in the Little Island area that consistently produces the most fishing success. Generally the opening to any body of water, be it Back River or any of the other locations previously covered, is the place to fully explore and cover. Even if the tide is out, the end of the jetty is productive due to the depth. The height that the jetty provides gives you get a fantastic view of the fish, even on a breezy day you should be able to pick out fish cruising along the western edge of the jetty. This is a good place to hone your fish spotting ability. Have I mentioned that a good quality, I don't mean K-Mart here, pair of polarized glasses, with sideshields is mandatory to fish saltwater? They make it easy to spot more fish and avoid tiring out your eyes due to the relentless glare of the sun, not to mention potential headaches. Many times you will see pods of fish on the western side cruising right up against the jetty as well as moving around within 50 feet of your position. They will hang in this area for hours just waiting for the bait to come in or be flushed out of the Harbor and will be susceptible to your flies.

If you don't see fish and you have an outgoing tide, cast straight out from the end of the jetty and let the fly sink very deep into the hole just outside of the mouth. I suggest a full fast sinking line in this location. Don't be afraid of waiting too long, the swirling currents will drag your fly along with it on outflow and the stripers will often strike even though you do nothing but daydream. Did you know that fish always strike when you're daydreaming? I find it to be a very useful technique. Definitely cast as far as you can out on to the sand to the west of the jetty, the stripers may be just out of sight and will follow your fly in towards you before striking. The jetty gives you the height to get a really revealing picture of the sand and the fish that may be cruising looking for food. Look out as far as you can scanning for anything that looks like it's moving even if it doesn't look like a fish. I used to have a friend that when he saw a shadow moving said that it probably wasn't a fish whereas I would always think it was a fish. I guess it depends on whether you're an optimist or pessimist. If you're not sure, figure it's a fish, calculate which direction it's heading, cast far enough ahead of the fish to take into account the speed of the sink and the speed of the fish, when the fish is near the fly start your strip and hook the fish, play the fish, land the fish and release the fish. Ahhhhhhh........ feels good doesn't it?

The great thing about this pile of rocks is that from it you can catch all four species that visit the Cape, stripers, blues, bonito and false albacore. Don't hold your breath but it's possible. I have landed false albacore and missed bonito while fishing here. I was doing my usual daydreaming technique when I spotted albacore speeding towards me just under the surface and was lucky enough to cast to the right place at the right time. Adrenaline city.

Okay, I can't take it any longer I will tell you the most important story I know about flyfishing for stripers for illustration purposes.

Story Time: I was in my boat in early November drifting along the beach just 300 yards east of the Coast Guard Station in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The drift was perfect due to a gentle easterly breeze pushing me perfectly parallel to the shore. The water was flat because the breeze was so light, the sun was behind me and as high as it can get at that time of the year, therefore no glare, and the water was crystal clear. The fall brings blitzes of fish to the beaches of Rhode Island especially near the Watch Hill reef area as bait balls up prior to making its way around the Coast Guard Station. There were probably a dozen surfcasters throwing surface plugs as well as some flyfishers. We were all in the right place at the right time because the water was polluted with stripers that were skulking along the beach looking to eat. Occasionally the fish would break the surface and some of the hardware throwers would hop in their trucks, race to the action, run to the beach and furiously cast. Probably due to the fact that the sun was directly in their eyes and their low angle to the water they were unaware that they had just pulled away from fish directly in front of them racing away for the proverbial greener pastures. Mistake number one.

They were keying in on only the breaking fish. Kids, remember the tip of the iceberg theory, not all the fish will be breaking the surface simultaneously, others always hang below the slashing picking up scraps or just plain traveling along the bottom ignoring the action. I'm not guessing here, from my vantage point I could see the whole drama unfolding. Now the bait didn't happen to be too thick so the slashing was spotty. Most everyone was casting and immediately commencing the retrieve and they were all casting over fish. Mistake number two.

Fine, the fish are on top in a froth, make your cast and start the retrieve as soon as it hits the water. You will be successful and happy as a pig in......ah.......mud. But guess where the majority of fish are? On the bottom bottom bottom. Never was it more evident to me that you have to get your fly to where the fish are. When the slashing stops the stripers don't all head directly to Chesapeake Bay, they are still in the area. I was hooking and landing a fish on every cast and I do not believe that it had anything to do with the particular fly or any magic stripping method. I was using an intermediate sinking line and due to the extremely slow drift the fly was on the bottom in no more than six feet of water. They ignored the fly on the drop and even when it sat on the bottom but as soon as I started the strip no fewer that 20 fish would take off after it. Unfortunately there were no monsters at the party. I positioned my boat so it was out of the shore casters range but close enough so that I could cast to the same fish they were missing. I could actually watch their plugs and flies when they were being retreived, the fish did not look up, they would not key into the surface. Rule number one. Fish where the fish are. Any accomplished trout flyfisher will tell you that if they are not up on top you can throw drys at them until your casting arm falls off and you will be unsuccessful, same deal in the ocean. Forget changing your fly, get it deeper.

Needless to say those wading thought I was an irritant and was scaring the fish, my motor was off and my casting certainly wasn't causing them to go fishless, besides, the fish were between us not directly under me. If the flyfishers had let their flies sink or the plug casters had changed to a Kastmaster retreived on or really close to the bottom they would have scored heavily. Some of them even stopped casting in disgust. Duh!

One thing I have always done is to pay close attention to anyone who is catching all the fish and try to emulate their technique, after all, they must be doing something right. I certainly wouldn't have stopped fishing, never never give up.

Around the Island: As you can see the Island is surrounded by many rocks making wading difficult as well as positioning you right out in the wind. I would try to fish this area early in the morning before the wind gets going with its full fury. The rocky coast fishes well at high tide because the bait will get up into the rocks to hide out and do their thing. Work yourself around the Island casting about until you locate some fish. Above I told you that if fish are breaking then there are others in the near vicinity on the bottom. There is another facet to that theory. If you are fishing an area correctly and get no hits then if you see slashes by all means get yourself to the action because obviously you aren't fishing over fish. Now as much as I believe you need to get near the bottom, when the area is rock city you do have to concern yourself with saving a few flies for the next outing. A full sink line can be used but be aware that you will have to time the sink so to avoid hanging up. This is a good place for an intermediate sink paying close attention to the sink rate. Otherwise, use flies that don't matter quite as much, you know, the ones that are chewed up from the fifty fish you released yesterday. When a fish is hooked it will move into the rocks to try to break you off or get the leader so tangled that you break yourself off, therefore, keep your rod tip high, way up over your head and get the fish in with dispatch. You might consider using only unweighted flies here. I use specially tied clousers in this spot as well as any spot where the bottom is going to come up and grab the fly. I will get into specific flies on another page sponsored by Flyfishing The Salt when I get the chance to create it. Hopefully that future page will dispell some of the mysteries of saltwater flies for stripers.

Directions:

From Little Island road turn right and in about .8 mile of a mile you will cross a bridge over the creek which is a little tidal stream that flows in and out of Snug Harbor which in turn is a portion of the larger West Falmouth Harbor. From Route 28A you can get off on Landing Road then right on Nashawena Street and it's .1 mile to the Creek. You should be able to park relatively close to the bridge just make sure your vehicle is off the pavement to avoid ticketing.

The Fishing:

East Side Of The Bridge: This area has to be fished pretty close to either side of high tide. The general rule is that stripers won't come in with any great numbers far from the Bay unless they have plenty of water over their backs. If you hit it right just pick your bank and walk the inland side casting as you go. This is also a great place to launch your canoe. The channel is in a direct line with the culvert, so if you approach it from the southerly side you have to cast much farther to get to the productive water, probably another 50 feet to reach the channel, although fish are also caught in the shallow area. Try the northerly side, then you only have to cast 15 feet to reach where the fish lie in the channel. Cast along the banks and you will find fish hiding in the undercuts, don't just do the channel. If you stand near any tidal stream bank be aware that many of these areas are undercut by the continual erosion of the water and the banks may be unstable, the edges can give way at any time and most of the tidal ranges are great enough that drowning is real. Just be safe and stay back a few feet which also hides you from the fish as an added benefit. If you canoe the area a simple little trick is to go up with the incoming and out with the outgoing, it cuts down on your labor and if the tide is high enough just glide up on top of the grass and let it hold you in place while you fish. Getting the canoe up on top of the grass hides you from the fish as well.

West Side: The Harbor side of the bridge again can be accessed from the bridge and waded but at a little lower tide. Always try the culvert first and then just wade towards the Bay as far as you can. The footing is a little soft here so move with care. As I have said before, it is always advisable to check out a spot at low tide in the day to get the lay of the land so that you will be safe when you return at night (read: if you can get away from your partner). Don't you love how I have tried to be as unisexual as possible? Don't be afraid to test your canoeing prowess on the Harbor side. In the spring there isn't much boat traffic and almost any harbor area is a no wake zone so the waves shouldn't be too hard to negotiate, just pay attention, keep your center of gravity low and turn into the direction of the oncoming waves. The other place to do this whole area by canoe is to keep heading south on Nashawena Road about .31 miles and take a right on Old Dock Road. You will see the town landing on your right in a very short distance. You can launch here and if you can't park at the launch site just take a left out of the parking lot, go straight and just past or before the railroad tracks turn left into the trailer parking area.

Now you can leisurely view great scenery, get out of the wind hiding behind boats and points, and catch tons of fish. This harbor is a great place to poke around casting in all the likely spots. Try all points, docks, larger boats, beaches and shorelines with steep dropoffs or grass. Bluefish also come in here to feed. Look for the channel markers which will tell you where the fish highways are located. There is no magic here just look around and explore. Always look for bait and slashes but give a few casts wherever you go. When you move from spot to spot don't forget to troll the fly behind you, you'll be surprised how many times you can find the fish doing nothing. Remember the daydreaming technique? Just be aware that some of the people in boats have more money than brains and won't slow down for you so keep a sharp eye and don't wear waders while canoeing, travel light carrying only a few flies or a small box crammed full. Leave the rod tubes in the truck and have the life vest on or ready. An anchor is handy when you find the motherload and don't want to drift off.

Directions:

Hop back on 28A by going back past the trailer parking area and when you get to 28A turn right. In about 1.6 miles you will merge with Route 28. Turn right and head towards Woods Hole. The road takes a right-hand curve close to downtown Falmouth so keep right heading towards Woods Hole and when you go about 1.35 miles you will see Ransom Road on the right. Take Ransom to Sipewisssit Road, turn right and then second left on to Racing Beach Ave., go .25 miles and there is a sharp right obey the signs and park. This is a great beach to fish.

The Fishing:

Beach Bum: People have caught all sizes of fish from this beach, keepers to rats. On a clear day you can see clear across Buzzard's Bay and when you can see this much water you know it's big fish territory. If you arrive at a lower tide or are picking up the art of learning to read water then you will see that there is a pile of rocks right about in the middle of the beach. There are rocks to the far right and far left. Always try any of those rocks no matter where they are. Rocks are fish magnets. There is plenty of room to spread out so don't crowd anybody. Whatever the time of day or tide just walk and cast if you see no obvious signs of fish.

Tackle Lesson:Flylines To Use In Waves:

Here's the deal. This location can and more than likely will have waves coming directly at the shore resulting in a line control problem. I first started to fish for stripers in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, usually on the western shore, with the wind coming from behind and flattening the water. No headwind, no waves, no sweat. A floating flyline worked fine and all I had to do was wait for the fly to sink to the appropriate depth. It also stopped me from getting hung up on the bottom because as soon as the strip was commenced the fly started to move towards the surface, no snags. When you are in waves you have a major problem with a floater. The waves will carry the line with it on the surface and your line will pull the fly with it to the shore much faster and totally out of control in a tangled mess at your feet. You won't be catching any fish with that "technique". Once you lose line control and aren't tight with the fly you might as well cut your waders with a knife and go home, it's that bad. When the wind blows the waves at you either directly or at an angle the solution when fishing a gradual dropoff area is to use an intermediate sinking line and if fishing a sharp dropoff or heavy current area a fast sinking line. The line will stay under the surface and the waves will impart very little effect on the line. The only place I would use a sink tip line is where the tip is going to be the only part you need to have underwater, because the floating part of the line will still be tossed about by the waves.

I use a Sci-Angler Mastery Series Bonefish Taper or Striper Series line for my intermediate lines, the Striper is supposedly made more for the Northeast's temperature range to avoid coiling and not stiffen up in the colder weather. I have used them both because I am like everyone else, got to get the newest and best lines. Keep in mind that there is so much hype surrounding the sport of flyfishing that manufacturers succeed at creating ways to hook the poor angler with "new and improved" products. These lines aren't cheap and will eat up enough of a hundered dollar bill that you don't want to buy a bunch of them just to try them. I used to buy Cortland lines but had too much problem with cracking to keep me on board. The exception was a Cortland 333HT Sinking Rocket Taper Type 6, this is a full sinking line which has a sink rate of around 7 inches/second. The best part about it is that it costs about $20.00 at Hook and Hackle or other mail order companies. Major bargain. It casts like a rocket, sinks like a rock, has not developed any cracks and has held up for three seasons of hard use, all day sun and a wide range of temperatures. I have six extras just in case it's discontinued.

Back to the Beach......The rocks to the northern end of the beach are great. Fish them like you would any rocks, wade carefully, watch the water constantly for signs of fish as well as the occasional rogue wave. We all try to wade in as far as we can just to get that little extra distance and often forget to plan for an escape route. Always know which way you are going to turn and walk should an unusually large wave be discovered to be bearing down on your location. Especially if your position is on top of a rock, be ready to turn and step off to avoid getting knocked off.

Fish will cruise all over the beach. Some people stand in one place and wait and others who have the patience of a two year old (myself included) just keep moving. Either way you will meet with success on this stretch of beach.

More Rocks: Walking to the left (south) you will see a small cove which definitely deserves a few casts. Mostly a sand bottom and easily waded. To the left even further are a long line of rocks and boulders most of which have been eroded out of the relatively high gravel bank shoreline upon which some houses are precariouly perched. One year in June I parked near the beach and found birds going crazy in the middle of this long line of rocks. I scrambled to the action and caught stripers for hours, like I said rocks are fish magnets. If you look a little past the rocks you'll see The Knob which I'll get to in the next section. Anyway, these rocks sometimes hold bait and stripers for weeks at a time. Keep checking to see when the action starts and then try to be there as often as possible. Work your way so that you can stand on a flat rock as close to the water as possible, cast as far as possible and strip relatively briskly to avoid hanging up on the rocks. If you don't strike it rich after a dozen or so casts move to another rock along the shoreline. There is one spot where the rocks open up to a patch of sand, watch very carefully for cruising fish here. The more you watch the more fish you'll see.

When fishing from such a vantage point on a rock you will need a stripping basket to avoid having the incoming waves tangling your line among the rocks at your feet.

Directions:

From Racing Beach turn around and go back out to Sippewissit Road and turn right go .4 miles then take another right on to Quissett Harbor Road which takes you to one of the most scenic and productive wading spots bordering Buzzards Bay. From Woods Hole Road traveling out of Falmouth you will come to a set of lights which intersects Quissett Harbor Road, take a right at the lights and go straight. You will then be driving along the innermost cove of the Harbor, travel around the cove and park at the parking area at the end of the cove.

The Fishing:

The knob has many diverse fishing areas providing something for everyone to enjoy. The best thing about it (except for the fishing) is the view. Walk towards the right side of the cove from where you park where you should read the sign then continue up the path into the woods that sort of bears off to the roght. Travel pretty much straight ahead and you'll eventually break out into a honeysuckle lined path with a view of the cove to the right. If you keep going you will drop a little in elevation and then back up to the top of the Knob. It is a great place for sunsets, picnics not to mention a fabulous vantage point from which to spot fish. The fun thing to do is to fish your way around the Knob either starting form the parking lot or the beach area.

The Beach: When you first broke out of the dense vegetation and saw the water on the right you will be able to see Racing Beach way to the right and then the rocks I suggested you climb upon to reach the fish. There will be one or two paths going down to the pebbly beach area. There are few sunbathers here because, I suppose, there are no hotdogs or sodas sold here, it's pretty private and I've never seen it crowded, although like anyplace to try on the Cape, get there during the week or early or late day to avoid hooking crowds on your backcast. The fish shown above was caught on the beach area a couple of years ago. You will see the rather gravelly nature of the beach.

The bottom off the beach farthest to the right is quite hard and sandy and is easily waded. I prefer this spot when at dead low tide enabling you to wade out the maximum you can to spot cruising fish. An interesting note, I have only seen and caught large fish form this sandy area, this holds true whether from shore or boat. When the large fish appear they usally are in pairs or singles right on the bottom and are quite finicky as are most large shallow water stripers. Look carefully for any moving shadows and cast as far in front of them as you can to allow time for your fly to sink to the bottom before the fish gets to the rendevous point. When sight fishing here it helps to be with another person so that you can sound the alarm as to fish's position and cruising direction. If you are lucky enough to lead the fish appropriately, then only start your strip when the fish is about two feet from the fly and use small quick strips. You might consider a crab, leech or shrimp pattern whenever trying to fool a large fish slowly cruising the bottom.

Rocks: Move towards the rocks to your left heading a little deeper into the cove. If you have finally backed out of the beach area to avoid drowning then there is probably enough water to fish among the rocks. Look around for a flat rock to stand upon, there being at least six or seven that qualify, keeping in mind how deep the water was when you stepped up to avoid a surprise when stepping down. This area holds bait and of course stripers with the not so uncommon bluefish.

A technique to try in any place where you are standing in a spot that doesn't lend itself to movement is to make short casts first. Making the longest cast upon arrival is not always necessary, do your searching pattern by gradually lengthening the cast as you throughly cover the water. As always, first light or twilight are best for this area, however, it's time for..........

A Myth Dispelling Lesson:

The myth is that fishing is lousy in the daytime, this is simply not true. Stripers, blues, bonito and false albacore are all caught in significant numbers in the bright sun. I guide during the day for a number of reasons; I like to sleep at night, it's safer for clients, who sometimes lack night experience and during the day and you visually see more fish. Playing fish when you can see the action is much more fun. Not to say that the night is poor fishing, quite the contrary. I just find sight fishing much more enjoyable.

The Knob: The very end of the Knob is often the best place to be as well as the most dangerous. Unlike the beach and rock cove areas, the Knob usually gets the full force of the southwesterly wave action and should be fished with Korkers and with a friend for safety reasons. At high tide the spot doesn't provide much backcast room so I try to be here at low. This is an extremely rocky shoreline which as usual is why the fishing is so productive. The feeding fish may come tight to the rocks and smash bait right at your feet. When looking in the water you can see boulders of varying sizes surrounding the one large boulder that is obvious, the key is to avoid hanging up. Try to place your casts in the "holes" between the rocks to avoid losing all your flies. As previouly stated, I tie my clousers and other flies hook up for rocky situations such as this. If you find birds here you will undoubtedly find fish. This spot usually fishes well for a solid two weeks sometime in the spring so keep checking. You can't expect to catch fish on every cast all day long but if you move between thse spots I've outlined then you should strike gold at some time during the day. Be patient, sit up high on the Knob, smoke your cigar and relax.

Oyster Bars: As you make your way around the Knob heading back towards inner Quissett Harbor you will pass over an area that is relatively shallow. I have neither seen or caught fish here. There is a lot of grass and I would suggest you be there when the tide is full and more in the early evening. There is an old submerged boat in the area so if wading at night walk slowly and perhaps use a flashlight to spot the trouble. People say that flashlights will put the fishing off but I don't buy it. When you have worked over towards the moorings the water deepens closer to shore and more productive fishing is found. Watch those moorings though, they love to eat flies.

Sand Bar: As you round the bend, when you start to see the inner Harbor, there is a sand bar jutting out pretty far which at lower tide you can wade on to and extend your fishing area substantially. Cast all around as far as you can. Fortunately the wind becomes less of a factor the farther you round the corner. The water is pretty deep near shore as you get closer to the parking lot and as the tide comes in you may need to roll cast from the shore because the tide pushes your back to the trees. Don't forget to cast around the dock.