USA Cape Cod | Brittany Fly Fishing

USA – Cape Cod

Cape Cod is a cape and peninsula, the so-called “Hook” of Massachusetts that reaches out into the Atlantic Ocean in the easternmost part of the state of Massachusetts, comprising Barnstable county.
The peninsula consists of dunes and swamplands and is home to about 220 000 inhabitants. Wildlife is quite diverse, whales, turtles, seabirds and seals, to name but a few.
Several Natural preserves help protect its unique environment :

National Wildlife Refuge
Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
National Seashore Park (11 000 hectares)

Some areas are closed to human presence and vehicles are also prohibited.

The name “Cape Cod”, as it was first used in 1602, named by Bartholomew Gosnold, applied only to the very tip of the peninsula. It was probably first discovered by Giovanni da Verrazano who, during his first voyage in 1524 sailed past its coastline.

It is an essential part of American History as it was here that Myles Standish and the Pilgrim Fathers set foot into the New World for the first time upon their passage from England on November 11, 1620, meeting the Nauset tribe people. It became one of the first areas of settlement in New England: Barnstable (1637), Sandwich (1637) and Yarmouth (1639).

We would love to introduce you to the Cape in proximity of Boston, only hours away from New York City. The region is quite pristine; the coastline landscapes, the villages and myriads of boats are well worth a visit. We have selected what seems to be the most interesting areas for anglers and collaborate with local guides to assure great fishing.

Even though you will be in the proximity of big cities, the Cape has remained pristine and offer great angling for striped bass, bluefish and false albacore. Great White Sharks also call the waters home! The main attraction for angler are striped bass, though, as there is a very healthy population with some very big fish pushing the 50 lbs. mark. A 20 lbs. fish does not really raise an eyebrow here and is considered average.

Fishing is done with fly (streamers and poppers) or spin tackle (surface lures, plugs or soft lures). Striped bass very much behave and react like our European Seabass and often chase bait in schools. During the high season, it is not rare to hook into 15 fish or more per day, catching 20 lbs. specimen as well.

There are numerous bluefish to keep things interesting, the average 2 to 6 lbs but bruisers up to 20 lbs are not uncommon. They are a very aggressive species and will chase down lures and flies with abandon. During feeding frenzies on bait balls, catching several dozen fish is quite possible!
In late summer and especially in autumn schools of false albacore invade Cape Cod waters. They are a fly fisherman’s dream species. Although they are of modest size, about 6 lbs in the cooler waters off New England, there are some bigger fish up to 13 lbs mixed in. They say size matters, but with false albacore fly anglers need to rethink: they are an absolute blast on fly tackle and even smaller fish will show you portions of your backing you have only rarely seen.

Lodging will be had in clean and comfortable hotels in proximity to the marinas, where the guides will depart in the mornings. Rooms have all amenities with air conditioning, TV, refrigerator, water heater, bathroom with a tub, etc. Breakfast can be had at your rooms as fishing times dictate an early departure from the docks to be able to fish the good tides.
We can make arrangements for another type of lodging, for couples of families, more upscale rooms, etc… Please let us know in advance.

Upon request and in partnership with Planet Fly Fishing, I will organize tailor-made trips (6 days fishing minimum) to Cape Cod and will assist the customers as a “tour leader” for groups from 4 to 6 anglers.
From the departure in Europe, I will assist the group in matters of transfers, translation, and matters of technical advice, in collaboration with the local guides. All my accumulated knowledge of sea bass fly fishing will be at your disposal. I will help you prepare your trip; make tackle choices, flies, etc…