Drunken Seal Restaurant #600

The reason this area fishes so well will be immediately obvious: only a few hundred yards away is the east entrance of the Cape Cod Canal, the migration route of tens of thousands of striped bass every year. As with all fishing locations of the Cape Cod Bay side, tide is extremely important here. The beach to the north of the parking area down to the canal jetty fished best at high tide; the area behind the restaurant and the rocky bar that extends out form there will hold fish at the top of the tide but can also be productive for the fisherman willing to negotiate the bowling ball sized slippery rocks as the tide drops. The bar is long and the tide drops and rises quickly – it’s important to avoid wading far out and then having to make one’s way back in with a rapidly rising tide. This can be absolutely treacherous. However, fishing along the bar as the tide drops and then casting off the end of it can be extremely rewarding. There is plenty of cover for the fish, strong tidal flow and abundant bait. Cast surface plugs or shallow running swimmers; eels are deadly effective here after dark. Soft plastics are the perfect bait for this area if they are rigged to run a foot or so under the surface – Hogy Original Series plastics or Hogy Sand Eels are an excellent choice.

Location:  End of Town Neck Road.

Parking: Free. Large paved lot adjacent to Hemisphere Restaurant.

Access: Easy. Beach borders parking lot.