Scorton Ledge #443

I was tempted to bundle this spot with the East end of The Canal section, but this spot gets a lot of attention on its own for stripers trolling the Tube and Worm. The Spot itself can be described in square yards not miles. The hump itself that consists of “Scorton Ledge” is very shallow, but the surrounding area is a little deeper, with water in the 20ft range on the North side and upper 30’s to low forties on the other side. Stripers will mill around the larger area.

Scorton Ledge is close to shore and like many of the “southern spots” on Cape Cod Bay, its very protected by winds from the South as it is in the “lee” of the land. Scorton Ledge is very close to a few boat ramps from Plymouth to Barnstable harbor. Its proximity to those ramps and nearby marinas lends to the spot’s popularity. Scorton Ledge is very well known and may have many boats working the area when large stripers are present, which happens frequently in the summer and fall.

Trolling wire and lead core is very common year with many boats trolling “loops” around the larger area. (See Pink Shading) Lead core or braid with trolling weights is an excellent option here for lighter gear as it’s not very deep. If using lead core, do you best to troll with the tide and take the boat out of gear when marking fish on the fish finder. Tubes and Umbrella rigs are popular here. Be careful of lobster pots, there are so many of them at Scorton Ledge as it’s same features that hold big stripers looking for forage also make for great habitat for lobsters.

Tip To Get You Started:

We recently filmed a Salty Cape episode here with braid line paired with an inline trolling weight. We did just fine without the traditional lead core or wire line which is  common practice here. It was so much more pleasurable on top of the fact we could use that same outfit for other purposes too such as vertical jigging or live lining.

Scorton Ledge is also an excellent starting point for tubing your way through many top striper-producing spots such as Sandy Neck, and Barnstable Harbor Entrance. Work your boat between 23 and 40 feet of water, watch your fish finder and drop to big fish. Anglers with rigged soft baits and live eels also run this stretch and drop to fish marked on the depth finder.

• Approx. Lat & Long:  41°45.5’ N, 70°25.5’ W
• Best tide: Outgoing; action slows at slack.
• Hazards: Many boats may be trolling this relatively small area.