Provincetown (Race Point and the West End Breakwater)

At the tip of Cape Cod, Provincetown offers two very different kinds of shore fishing. Race Point, inside the Cape Cod National Seashore, is open ocean beach, and it's where the Seashore issues its beach-driving permits. On the harbor side, the West End Breakwater runs about a mile and a half from the end of Commercial Street toward Long Point, and The Fisherman's writer says it's a reliable October spot for big bluefish year after year.

When to fish

• October: big bluefish, commonly 10 to 15 pounds and sometimes bigger, pin bait against the breakwater at high tide, with the occasional big striper. The writer found fast action the week after Columbus Day.
• Summer: in the National Seashore, fishing from designated swimming beaches isn't allowed from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. between mid-June and Labor Day, so fish early, late or at night.

Where to fish

• The West End Breakwater: it starts where Commercial Street meets Province Lands Road. The jetty is mostly flat and easy to walk, and at a mile and a half long there's room to spread out.
• Race Point Beach: ocean surf inside the National Seashore, with the Seashore's oversand permit station.

How to fish it

On the breakwater, the writer throws topwater plugs, with heavy pencil poppers the best choice when the wind blows. If the bite stops, wait it out: the bluefish work their way along the whole length of the jetty.

Getting there

National Seashore parking lots close at midnight; to park and fish between midnight and 6 a.m., get a night fishing parking permit at a visitor center. Driving on the beach requires a Seashore oversand permit and specific equipment, the corridor is open from mid-April to mid-November (conditions and nesting birds permitting), and rental vehicles are never allowed. Don't leave fish remains on the beach. Along the Outer Cape, the state bans shore fishing with large baited hooks on long wire leaders (the gear used for sharks). You need a Massachusetts saltwater fishing permit; striped bass have a slot limit and a circle hook rule for bait.