Stripers
Contributors to this thread:Massachusetts
From: muzzy
28-Jun-17
Anyone having luck? The bride and I have been fishing for the last 6 Saturdays and have been doing real good. Last Saturday we caught 13 stripers, most came up just short of legal size but caught a couple nice ones and brought them home. Mine was 34 1/2 inches and hers was 36 1/2. Not the biggest we've ever caught but good eaters. The last fish was just over 40 inches but we already had our limit so back it went.
From: Jebediah
28-Jun-17
Fantastic! Muzzy how long do you predict fishing will be good for? Like how many more days or weeks? Have been planning for a long time to take my youngest boy, but haven't delivered.
From: muzzy
28-Jun-17
Jeb, good fishing right till bow season and then some. We go every Sat. and do real well. Fishing the ditch can become exspensive and frustrating but worth it. We had a boat go by us and they were yelling to us that they were marking fish right in front of us and they weren't lying. I casted right into their wake about 20 feet behind the boat, the guy gave me thumbs up and 5 seconds later I hooked up. Had a couple guys from Delaware introduce themselfs and started asking about fishing the ditch, I asked them if they caught anything and one guy said he caught a 38 lb 48 inch fish that day! I laughed and told them I need their help. Nice guys and they said they came up just to fish the canal.
From: Jebediah
28-Jun-17
Nice--thank you! It looks like a really nice place, too, with that path and the grass.
From: Dthfrmabove
28-Jun-17
Muzzy I know the guys from Delaware !!! There were a bunch of them that came up this year, but the ones we fish with a lot are Vic and Martin. I have been doing well this year, but I also fish the canal 3-4 days a week. With the law of averages I am above the curve but have had multiple days that there was nothing even close that resembled a fish. Put your time in and you can be rewarded
From: Dthfrmabove
28-Jun-17
From: Moons22
28-Jun-17
Canal rats!! Haha I definitely would fish it all the time if I lived closer. Have been to the ditch 3-4 times so far with a few blue fish and one good striper to show for it. My buddies and I also did our annual camping trip in Brewster and fished beach front for Memorial Day weekend. Caught hundreds of schoolies that weekend, but it is all about the laughs, beers , and good food (venison!!). Good luck the rest of the summer guys!
From: Moons22
28-Jun-17
From: Jimbo
29-Jun-17
Those are some impressive fish! It cracks me up that you guys call the canal a ditch.
The difference in the tides at each end of the canal makes for some interesting currents.
From: Moons22
29-Jun-17
Dth, did u weigh that fish in the middle? Huge!
From: Jebediah
29-Jun-17
Moons sent you a pm
From: muzzy
29-Jun-17
Dth, good looking fish. We've been doing good just haven't gotten into any cows yet but like you said, put in your time and you can be rewarded.
The guys from Delaware said there was like 10 of them up here, nice guys. I used to go a couple times a week years ago but life gets in the way sometimes. Takes me about 1 hour and 20 minutes one way. Fish late afternoon into the night and get home around 11- 11:30.
Dth, I don't cross the bridge but maybe we'll bump into each other some time. I fish the cribbin area. Good luck to all that drop a line this season.
From: Ungie01201
29-Jun-17
nice fish everyone!
From: Dthfrmabove
29-Jun-17
Moons. Yeah she went a little over 44. I usually release all the big ones. It sometimes they just don't want to come back. I would rather keep it and eat it than watch it swim belly up!! I will keep 1 out of every 10 fish or so to eat. Best eating range is from 33"-40".
From: Dthfrmabove
29-Jun-17
Muzzy. I will look for you I am all over the place but tend to hang on the cape side. Less people, usually! I am lucky and it takes me 20 minutes from driveway to the rocks. I tend to try and stay away on the weekends but if the bite is good I will rub elbows with everyone else. Sometimes it's a zoo then I just go home or find a quieter place along the banks. Got 7 plus miles to fish, they don't all just stay in one area!! The guys from Delaware will be back up in a couple weeks and I will be with them as much as work allows. Between fishing and hunting it's getting harder to budget enough time off and still pay the bills
From: BruceP
29-Jun-17
Oh man, you guys are killing me. I've only managed to get out a few times this year. Canal is a little too far for me and I'm not really familiar with it, usually head up to Plum Island. Nothing photo worthy yet. Last time up I caught 4 fish, if you laid the 2 biggest end to end they still wouldn't have added up to a keeper...
From: DeanMan
29-Jun-17
Great fish everyone! So what is the set up for these fish? I'm headed to the cape in a couple of weeks and I would like to try the canal but don't know what size pole to get any info will help. Thank you.
From: Moons22
29-Jun-17
Some of these other guys may know better than me, but I'll tell you what I use. I have an 11' penn carnage rod with a shimano ultegra 5500 reel. Spoooled with 500 yards of 40 pound braid. I tie on about a 4' leader with 50lb fluorocarbon line (using a barrel swivel). I then tie to a tactical angler clip or quick clip (you can get them at any bait shop). This allows for quick change of lure. Some of the most popular lures are al gags jigs ( I like the 3oz chatruse), guppy top water plugs (you'll have your best luck on top water right at first light) and other things like magic swimmers and other swim baits. My favorite patterns are mackerel and bone white. Break out the ole bike and slap a PVC pipe on the side and you'll fit right in with all the other rats!!
You don't need the rod/reel combo that I have. It was a bit pricey. Some of my buddies use the 11' pen prevail with a penn battle 2 reel. That's a much cheaper option that will definitely get the job done. Good luck dean man!
From: Dthfrmabove
29-Jun-17
What Moons said. You can get a full setup with enough of the standard lures for 300. The amount of money that you spend depends how much you fish there. Sounds like you are coming on vacation and this set up will serve you for years to come. The fishing set ups can get as pricey as a new bow setup!!! I would recommend M&D in wareham. They have the cheapest prices of all the bait shops and you don't want to go to one of the big discount chain stores when there is the possibility of a 40 or 50 lb fish on the line. Deanman PM me before you are coming down. I will take some time to help you out and give you a little info as to what currents and times will be good and what is going on as far as fishing info
From: muzzy
29-Jun-17
I run 5 poles, 4 on the bottom with Chunk bait and a 5th pole for casting. All Penn reels and poles, close to a grand when you're talking line, and lures. I'm not saying you need that but that's how I do it. I would definitely take Dth up on getting his help, he lives close and has a bunch of experience with ditch fishing. The pics are proof and pics don't lie. Good luck and maybe I'll see you down at the ditch Deanman. I would be happy to help you too, I just do it a little different than most.
From: DeanMan
29-Jun-17
Thank you guys for all the info! Dth, I will PM you in about a week or so.
From: BruceP
29-Jun-17
Hey dth, I notice your right index finger taped in all the photos. That to keep from getting cut chucking braid with lots of weight? How much weight you use in the canal?
From: huntskifishcook
29-Jun-17
I fish almost exclusively up on the North Shore, targeting mostly rocky points that jut out into deeper water. I also fish mostly at nighttime, the bite in the middle of the night can get down right ridiculous, this is one of the few fish I've caught this year during daylight.
From: huntskifishcook
29-Jun-17
One more
From: Moons22
29-Jun-17
Yup your finger can get pretty cut up. I always put hockey tape on my right index finger. Not to speak for dth, but my rod holds up to 6oz's. The heaviest I throw is an al gags whipit fish with a 4oz jig head. The "whipit" body is 1.5oz's so all together it is 5.5oz's. I primarily use this at night when it is a very strong tide. Helps it get to the bottom. I'm usually "creepin while you're sleepin" at the canal. No crowd and the bite can be insane. That fish in the picture was caught at 2am back in early June.
From: Dthfrmabove
30-Jun-17
BruceP. Yes the tape is for casting. there is a lot of pressure on your finger from holding the line and casting. With today's braid if you didn't have it on you can get cut right down to the bone if you are not careful The most weight I am casting is 4oz jighead with a 9" rubber tail that weighs around an ounce and a half. You don't need it , but it is one less thing to worry about when you are constantly casting over and over again for hours
From: Dthfrmabove
30-Jun-17
Deanman. Looking forward to it hopefully the fish will be in when you're here
From: muzzy
22-Jul-17
Still doing good at the ditch, got this one after just putting on some fresh bait. 45 1/2 inches, over 35 lbs.
From: muzzy
22-Jul-17
From: Jebediah
22-Jul-17
That's a monster!
From: muzzy
22-Jul-17
Just weighed it, 33 1/4 lbs. Lots of big bass in the ditch today. Saw a couple guys hook up on some nice ones.
From: Donnie36
24-Jul-17
Hey muzzy pretty sure I ran into you on the canal sat after you landed that fish on my bike, it was a great fishing weekend . Here's one I picked up the next morn.
From: muzzy
24-Jul-17
Yup, I recognize you and your bike. You had a good weekend of big fish. Nice bass in the pic! Nice meeting you Donnie, keep those lines wet and rods bent. I'll be back there this Saturday, stop by if you can. Good to meet another Bowsite member.
From: GED
24-Jul-17
I like to fish
From: GED
24-Jul-17
Archery deer is good too
From: muzzy
24-Jul-17
Nice bass. Real nice buck.
Hopefully the big bass stick around for a while and everyone can enjoy a good fight with a big fish.
From: badjuju
25-Jul-17
not quite the monsters you guys are getting down in the canal but I scored this one in June on the south end of PI. Greenheads are keeping me away from that spot so I've been hitting the north jetty; mainly schoolies but a few decent size here and there. tough landing the bigger ones up on the rocks.
having trouble posting the pic. will try later
From: badjuju
25-Jul-17
oh well, no idea why it won't upload a 1.5mb JPEG file?
From: Donnie36
25-Jul-17
I'll be back down thurs-Sunday I might have to work sat but I'll definitely take a ride down if not.
From: Belchertown Bowman
26-Jul-17
Holy Crap,..
That is all awesome you guys,.. those are big ass fish,..
Tips hat to you all !
From: muzzy
13-Aug-17
Last night was amazing at the canal. We caught 11 fish, all keepers. In 30 seconds three poles went off and the bride, my buddy and myself had three Whoppers on at the same time! I lost my first one trying to muscle it in so I could help the bride. We landed her's and I ran over to help my buddy get his in. Two 43 inch fish. After catching a few more in the mid 30 inch range I got a nice 41 inch bass. A great day at the canal and plenty more bass for future eating. Freezer is getting packed with fish for a long winter.
From: muzzy
13-Aug-17
From: muzzy
13-Aug-17
From: Dthfrmabove
14-Aug-17
Muzzy good to see you hooking up with the bait sticks !! This time of year I switch gears and head after the apex predator of the ocean. This is something right up your alley with the bait and wait!! A little shy of 6 1/2 feet and all of 130lb
From: muzzy
14-Aug-17
Wow!! Dth that's awesome! Is that a great white? Steel leader and what pound test line? How long to land it and how sore is your back and arms after it's over? Oh yeah, you got balls sitting on that thing!!
From: Dthfrmabove
14-Aug-17
Hahahha no it's not a great white. It's a brown shark. Protected species so a catch and release only fish. Used my jigging pole for the canal. A CTS S-8 MH with a Saragossa 10k and 65 lb braid. Running a 6' 120 lb stranded wire leader to a 10/0 circle hook. Took about 20 minutes or so to land and luckily I had some very experienced guys to help me. Nearly dropped a deuce in the shorts when I got it close to shore! Total time from tail grab to re-entry into the water was under 3 minutes. Felt very under gunned for this fish, looks like I am buying another setup!!! Total adrenaline rush and way better than striper fishing. Had the 35 lbs of drag locked down and the fish was taking line like no tomorrow. Before I knew it she had almost 200 yds out and I am hanging in for dear life. Going again this weekend to an UDL on the cape to try my luck again. Beats the messy crowds down the ditch , until the fall run comes
From: Dthfrmabove
14-Aug-17
I will be the first to admit. I had no prayer of even knowing what to do with this thing once I got it close to shore. There were a group of real shark fishermen close to me who landed this thing for me. All I did was put the bait in the right place at the right time. I can fish, been doing it since age 6 and have caught blue sharks to over 8 ft and tuna close to 150 but from a boat. Have been a striper fanatic since I moved down here to Marion for the past 6 years. Probably spend close to 300 hrs a year chasing them and have caught them close to 50 lbs. this was a little more serious the power and speed is intimidating never mind having to take the hook out. Something you should look into doing, but make sure you have a couple guys who know what they are doing to help out the first year or so. Lol. The smaller ones are a little less nerve wracking, but a lot more fiesty when they are on shore
