HIDDEN HOLLOW COTTAGE
A Cape Cod Vacation Home
Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
508.349.3473
Keep Your Toes in the Virtual Cape Cod Sand...
When someone mentions sight fishing on shallow saltwater flats, most people think of far away islands, tropical breezes, and perhaps a palm tree or two. Many of us forget that some tremendous flats fishing opportunities can be found here in the Northeastern United States. Expansive bayside flats run throughout Pilgrim Country, from Barnstable Harbor to Provincetown.For the majority of your trip you’ll sight cast to pods of fish in water depths that range from under a foot to three feet. As the tide floods you’ll move higher up onto the flats and cast a variety of surface flies or streamers to specific fish. The striped bass range in size from school fish in the 3-6 pound class up to legal bass in the over 20-pound class. They arrive a few weeks after the blue-backed herring and alewives which is when the shadbush blooms, or early May. Prime time is May, June and September, but they’re here all summer long. As the water temps warm, bluefish make their appearance. The early runs of bluefish arriving in early June. New Englanders frequently call bluefish the Northeast tarpon, and if you hook a double-digit fish on a flat, be prepared for jumps and hard runs. The bluefish, as with the striped bass, stay through October. The Outer Cape is also tuna country, and in recent years, the school bluefin fishery has gotten a lot of press. Most of the school tuna arrive in late May and stay through Thanksgiving. The 20-30 pound tuna from a few years ago are now in the 40-70 pound class. Their long, powerful runs tests tackle and exhaust anglers – leave the 8-weight at home. 
Our guides use a variety of boats, with many of them being either shallow-draft Florida-style flats boats to shallow draft center consoles. We also offer wade and kayak trips, and night fishing excursions as well. For fishing fanatics, there are countless opportunities to continue fishing after the guided trip is over. There are 28 miles of National Seashore beaches with long flats, harbors, and estuaries to work. Fishing packages are available during May, June, and September to correspond with peak fishing seasons. Need more convincing? Be sure to read the articles written by Tom Keer, owner of Hidden Hollow Cottage, by checking out his website, www.tomkeer.com. Or check out the Local Lore & Links section for a short list of articles about fishing Cape Cod. Our fishing packages are custom-designed for each of our guests. Whether you want to fish for a few days or a few weeks, we will work with you to create a trip of a lifetime. Email us for more details.Check out our ad in the June 2009 edition of Fly, Rod & Reel.
