Sandy Neck #442

Sandy Neck

Whenever I “put in” Cape Cod Bay with trolling tubes for stripers in mind, I think of the series
of spots along the beach from Sandwich to Barnstable as a series of stops. I think of the East End
of the Canal as spot # 1, Scorton Ledge as spot #2, Sandy Neck as spot #3, Barnstable Harbor as
Spot #4.

The area known as “Sandy Neck” is the next stop down the line from Scorton ledge. IF I’M
TROLLING TUBE AND WORM, I’ll pretty much start trolling right from Scorton Ledge all the
way to Barnstable Harbor. Depth comes into play as I often find that stripers here tend to favor
one depth over the other. The contour line at around middle 30ft range seems to be the most
consistent for me. I’ll troll either lead core or braid with a trolling weight. I regularly look for
targets on my fish finder and take the boat out of gear to drop my lures onto the fish. It’s
sandy/hard bottom here (for the most part) and I am not too worried about snagging bottom.
There’s occasional humps and boulders that hold life.

This spot is not just a tubing spot. Anglers will troll just about any style of trolling lure. The area
is also conducive to casting. Watch for birds working over bait and surface feeding stripers or
bluefish.

Here’s a few tips to get you started:

1. At the top of the tide drift along the beach and cast to any weed or gravel patches you see.
   Large 10inch and 14inch soft baits casted toward sure and fished with fast retrieve are top
   producers.
2. Work the contour along the entire length of the beach sig zagging between 15 and 35' of
   water. Troll un-weighted tubes with the tide on lead core line or with a trilling weight on
   braid. It can also be productive to carefully troll the channel with the tide in and out of
   Barnstable Barbor.

• Approximate Lat & Long:  41°45’ x 70°20’  (approximate center of beach front, ¼ mile
  off shore)
• Best Tide: Mid-point incoming to high slack.
• Hazards:  Few; some shallow water and sand bars 100 yards of the beach, exposed at
  low tide.