Nestled into Cape Cod’s elbow, the small town of Brewster supplies anglers with access to the largest tidal flats in North America. Spanning over 12,000 acres of seemingly featureless Cape Cod Bay sand covered with Caribbean-clear water, the strong current and abundance of bait makes the Brewster flats one of the most challenging, unique, and productive places in New England to catch striped bass.
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The Flats
Some 25,000 years ago, a retreating glacier deposited rock debris that formed what we now recognize as Cape Cod and the Islands. Years of wind, waves, and runoff slowly washed rock out into Cape Cod Bay, building up a shallow expanse of sand that became the Brewster Flats of today. However, no two seasons on the flats are the same because winter storms constantly shift the sand around, creating new channels and filling up deep pockets. These constant and unpredictable changes make fishing here more challenging, but also provide fantastic structure and cover for stripers. While the large size of the flats may be intimidating, focusing on key features and structure can help you narrow down where to cast.
Channels
Channels are typically the easiest pieces of structure to find. They can be magnets for bait and, therefore, fish, especially during outgoing and dead low tide. As bait is flushed out with the tide, stripers use these deep channel conveyor belts to bring their food directly to them. The channels are usually 6 to 12 feet deep, so make sure you aren’t on the wrong side of one when the tide starts coming in.
Sandbars
After fishing the channels during the outgoing tide, I typically move out onto a sandbar, which can be recognized and marked very easily during low and high tide as the first place to get dry and the last to get wet. Fishing along the outer side of a sandbar can be quite effective during slack and the early incoming tide as fish cruise parallel to it, picking off bait disoriented in the small waves that crest the bar. Fishing one is identical to fishing the surf of a sand beach, albeit with much smaller waves. Sight-fishing is my primary way of targeting these cruising fish—I walk the length of the bar and cast to any fish I see.
Rips
Rips are by far the most productive structure on the flats, but are much more difficult to fish and are dependent on the conditions. Typically, rips form only during the strong incoming tide as water rushes through the channels and over sandbars, dislodging crabs and sand eels. Stripers stage at the top of a rip to pick off this easy prey as the current swings them by. Since the shallow part of these rips are only around 3 feet deep, it is very easy to see stripers lined up along the rip line and make a cast toward them. Similar to fishing a rip from a boat, the best way to catch these fish is by making a cast 5 to 10 feet above the rip line and let the bait swing enticingly by the fish. The visual aspect of this fishing can be incredible, since a whole wolfpack of fish sometimes fight for the bait or fly as goes by. Other times, fish calmly sip up the bait like a trout eating a mayfly. Either way, as soon as they are hooked, these fish often rocket down-current, leading to a long and challenging fight.
The Fly-Fishing Approach
Even though I’m a spin fisherman, I can’t deny the advantage fly anglers get on the flats. The crystal-clear water and presence of small bait make flies the most natural presentation. Because of this, the Brewster flats are the only striper spot in New England where I reach for a fly rod over my favorite surf or inshore combo. Any fly representing a sand eel does well, but I recommend tying smaller imitations to allow for minimal imperfections that the fish may notice in the crystal-clear water. In addition to sand-eel flies, it is a very good idea to keep a handful of crab and shrimp flies on hand, as fish seem to prefer these on certain days, especially later in the summer. I use an 8-weight rod because the fish are typically under slot size, and I don’t need a long cast to reach them. While much of your gear may vary from mine, I recommend using a slow-sinking line of some sort because floating lines will spook the fish and fast-sinking lines may cause the fly to sink unnaturally. A 15-pound fluorocarbon tippet is fine, but some days may require longer tippet sections than others.
While a wide range of techniques are possible with the fly rod, the most entertaining is sight-fishing. The best way to sight-cast for cruising fish is to walk along an outer bar during the incoming tide and cast to fish flooding over the bar as the tide rises. These fish will spook very easily, so a stealthy approach and a gentle, leading cast is necessary to get them to eat. A good rule of thumb is to lead fish by one rod length, which gives the fly enough time to sink in front of the fish before you start your retrieve.
Fish here can be extremely picky and selective, and days seeing 50 fish and catching none are common, especially with the fly rod. Making slight changes to tippet length, retrieve speed, or fly selection can make the difference between a skunk and catching every fish you see. Talking with other fishermen to see what the fish are doing is another strategy that has helped save many of my trips.
Spin Fishing
Inevitably, after frustrating trips where I can’t get a fish to eat the fly or it is simply too windy for a novice like me to make a cast with the fly rod, I will resort to a slightly less entertaining but still successful technique. Striper fishermen along the coast can’t deny the success of using live eels or bunker for large bass, but these baits won’t catch on the flats. Instead, anglers use live sand eels to catch bass; however, because of their small size and difficulty to obtain, sand eels are not commonly used. It is very rare to find a tackle shop that carries them, so anglers must catch them themselves. Goose Hummock Shop in Orleans carries rakes designed specifically for gathering sand eels out on the flats. Anglers walk around until they either see or feel sand eels, then drag the rake through the sand. This process gets repeated until a sand eel is caught in the rake, then carefully removed (they tend to jump right out of your hands) and placed in a small pouch or directly onto your hook. The rigs I use are very simple: a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook attached to about 36 inches of 15-pound fluorocarbon leader tied onto a barrel swivel below a ½-ounce egg sinker. Any medium/medium-heavy inshore spinning rod with a 4000- or 5000-size spinning reel spooled with 15- to 30-pound braid will work perfectly.
To catch fish on live sand eels, cast them into areas with active cruising fish, being careful not to spook them. Sometimes, slowly reeling the rig in front of fish can be the best technique; other times, fish prefer the bait to be drifted naturally with the tide. Again, making changes to your presentation can be the key to catching or not.
On days when sand eels simply can’t be found or anglers hope to catch fish without the help of live bait, having a couple of artificials on hand can be helpful. While definitely the least effective technique, aggressive fish will strike lures, especially on cloudy days or at night. Small soft plastics such as 6-inch Lunker City Slug-Gos, 3-inch Z-Man MinnowZ, and 4-inch RonZ are the most effective, but small topwaters like the Rebel Jumpin’ Minnow also deserve spots on this list. These should be fished similarly to flies, but almost exclusively during low-light conditions.
Dangers of the Flats
The same things that make the flats such an incredible location for striped bass fishing also make it one of the most dangerous on the east coast. Every year, fisherman and beachgoers alike become stranded and must be rescued. The reason the flats hold so many fish throughout the year is because of the strength of the tide in this area. Since such a massive amount of sand is uncovered during low tide, the water rushes in extremely fast as the incoming tide begins, sometimes making it hard to walk against it. Check a reliable website or pick up a local tide chart at a nearby store to know when the tides will occur before every trip and leave yourself with enough time to get home. A good rule of thumb is to begin the walk back an hour after high tide, with 2 hours being the absolute cutoff time, depending on the moon phase. Remember, no fish is worth your life.
It is also smart to have a path home on your phone that avoids deep channels and drop-offs, which can be acquired using an app like Navionics. I recommend that first-time anglers go with an experienced guide or friend who is knowledgeable about the tides and a safe path back home.
Gear
There are many necessary items needed for a safe and successful outing on the flats, with the first being proper apparel. I always wear SPF 50 gear (like the Striper Cup PFG shirts) to provide proper sun protection, with the help of a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sunscreen. More importantly, however, is what to wear below the waterline. Most anglers tend to wear waders, especially early in the season when the water can be slightly chilly. I wore these for many years before seeing an incident firsthand involving a fire department rescue boat, a strong moon tide, and a lucky (but embarrassed) angler who had to ditch his waders after becoming trapped in a deep channel. After seeing this, I made the switch to wetsuits and, eventually, just plain swim trunks during the summer.
Another essential for a safe and comfortable outing is a waterproof backpack that can help store excess flies, phones, wallets, and car keys. Bringing along several bottles of water and a few snacks is also a good idea, especially if you plan to catch both ends of the tide. Finally, the best safety item to bring is a fellow angler who can assist with any unexpected situations, provide insight into when to leave and what route to take, snap pictures, and provide competition for who can outfish the other.
The Brewster Flats continue to provide New England anglers with world-class striper-fishing opportunities, but not without risk. However, with the right gear, knowledge, and timing, you can enjoy a safe outing in one of the most beautiful places on Cape Cod. To top it off, the Flats offer one of the only striper sight-fishing fisheries in the world, and you may even catch some fish along the way.
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