Cape Cod Bay (Brewster Flats to Billingsgate Shoal)

The south shore of Cape Cod Bay, from Barnstable Harbor east past Brewster to Billingsgate Shoal, is a favorite of Cape boat anglers. The Fisherman's writer, a guide, describes working the edge of the Brewster Flats, where the shallow flats drop off into deeper water and bait piles up, finding schools of 12- to 15-pound striped bass chasing sand eels, with bluefish on the humps offshore.

Where to fish

• The edge of the Brewster Flats: bait stacks up along the drop-off where the flats fall away. The writer trolled in 15 to 20 feet of water.
• The Seventeens: three pronounced humps outside the flats, good for bluefish.
• Barnstable Harbor to Billingsgate Shoal: a long stretch locals and visitors have fished for years; the Target Ship nearby is another spot the writer says is worth scouting.

How to fish it

The writer trolled tube lures along the drop-off and picked up bass and blues through a bright morning in clean, clear water. Once other boats see bent rods, expect company.

Getting there

The writer launches at Sesuit Harbor; Barnstable Harbor also has a ramp, and both are a short run to Billingsgate Shoal. You need a Massachusetts saltwater fishing permit. Striped bass have a slot limit and a circle hook rule for bait and can't be gaffed.