Cape Cod Offseason Stripers

If You Plan to Go

Those planning a trip to the Cape can choose from hundreds of inns and motels within five minutes of great striper fishing on the Cape. There are plenty of qualified guides, and good fly shops that can outfit you from head to toe as well. Inns and motels are often fully booked for the season from July 4 through Labor Day, but during the shoulder seasons you’ll find plenty of vacancies and better rates (other than Memorial Day Weekend). Here are three very nice places to stay in the Chatham area, which offers some of the best and most diverse fishing opportunities:

--Chatham Bars Inn, (800) 527-4884; www.chathambarsinn.com One of the finest historic inns on the East Coast, with postcard views of Pleasant Bay, the outer barrier beach, and Chatham Fish Pier, still a small working port. Very elegant, very expensive.

--Dolphin of Chatham Inn and Motel, (508) 945-0070; www.dolphininn.com Quaint and less ostentatious than Chatham Bars Inn, located right in the village of Chatham, close to shops and restaurants.

--Surfside Motor Inn, (508) 945-9757; www.capecodtravel.com/surfsideinn Less expensive and simpler than the above, but right on Pleasant Bay.

Local Fly Shops

--Fishing the Cape, Harwich Commons, Route 137, Harwich, MA 02645; (508) 432-1200 Note: Tony Biski, George Ryan, Rich Benson, and Jeff Walther also can be booked through this shop, as well as many other excellent guides.

--Sporting Life, Mashpee Commons, Mashpee, MA 02649; (508) 539-0007

--Goose Hummock Shop, Route 6A, Orleans, MA 02653; (508) 255-0455

Cape Cod Guides

--Tony Biski, (508) 432-3777; tony@c4.net Specializes in wading the Monomoy flats and shallow-water boat fishing from an 18-foot Jones Brothers.

--Tony Stezko, 508-255-2357; Striperman3@aol.com The master of the outer beaches. Gets clients there by 4WD, then wades the beaches.

--Jeff Walther, (508) 255-5507; stripedtease@hotmail.com Shallow-water and offshore guiding from an 18-foot Jones Brothers.

--Bill Cooling, (508) 430-2277 Shallow-water and offshore guiding with 18-foot Jones Brothers.

--Rich Benson, (508) 432-6264; stripercity@aol.com Shallow-water flats fishing with flats boat. Poles the flats Florida-style.

--George Ryan, (508) 240-3979 The premier wade-guide of the Chatham area. Takes clients to Monomoy and South Beach for the day via shuttle boat.

Recommended Beaches

“Outside” beaches in the Cape Cod National Seashore, Ballston Beach near Provincetown, Hatches Harbor, Nauset Beach, Coast Guard Beach, South Beach (Chatham), Cape Cod Bay, Mouth of Pamet River, Wellfleet Harbor, Sunken Meadow, Brewster Flats, Barnstable Harbor, Nantucket Sound, Red River Beach, Hardings Beach, Morris Island , Bass River Beach

Recommended Tackle

--A 9-foot, 9-weight fly rod is all you need. You can land these fish on lighter rods, but winds and big flies make a 9-weight a smarter choice.

--A smooth reel with a disc drag with 150 yards of backing

--Floating, Clear-Tip (floating line with clear intermediate tip), and Depth Charge Fast-Sinking lines

--Nine-foot, 12-pound fluorocarbon leaders. You may need 12-footers and down to 8-pound test for flats fishing. Wire tippets for bluefish.

--Waders if you are fishing from the beach. The water is very cold in spring and fall. Breathable waders are most comfortable, and either felt or cleat soles work just fine. Bootfoot waders are better than stocking foot, because sand gets between the wading boots and waders.

--A stripping basket is almost essential when fishing the surf.

--Flies: Clouser Minnow in olive-and-white or chartreuse, sizes 2 and 6. Deceivers in all white or olive-and-white, sizes 2 and 2/0. Skipping Bug in size 2/0, blue-and-white. Monomoy Flatwing and Cape Cod Sand Eel in sizes 2 and 4. For crab patterns, my best flies have been Del’s Merkin, Flexo Crab and Whisper Crab in sizes 2 and 4. Many other baitfish patterns, crab imitations, and shrimp patterns will work just as well.

If you bring a spin rod, a medium-action saltwater rod with a good saltwater reel and 12-pound line. Best lures are Sluggos, Rapalas and Needlefish.

--Tom Rosenbauer