BIG BOAT FISHING
The draft of their crafts excludes big boat anglers from fishing in shallow water. Their approach to striped bass is normally trolling, drifting or casting to offshore rockpiles.

Seaward of Cape Ann along east- facing Rockport and Gloucester, the rocky shoreline overlooking the open Atlantic Ocean is highlighted by a few sandy beaches. Access from land is limited, but there are plenty of near-shore and offshore spots that boating anglers can try. Launch at Salisbury Beach State Park or any of the landings on Cape Ann.

Salisbury Landing is inside the park on Route 1A east toward Salisbury Beach. The Gloucester state ramp, next to the high school and with room for about 40 trailers, is the best landing on Cape Ann.

Called Dunfugin Landing, it is on the east side of Blyman Canal and takes boaters out through Gloucester Harbor.

Boaters can troll these waters with tube and worm rigs or umbrella rigs, but great action may be had casting to near-shore rockpiles.

White water is the key to finding bass in these rocky lairs. Bouncing lures or bait against the exposed rocks and dropping them into the surging foam below, as if they were confused baitfish, will attract bass.

Boat control is important in any whitewater fishing. For this kind of fishing, two people are required, with one constantly at the helm, controlling the boat -- with the motor running.

Good striper spots off Rockport and Gloucester include Halibut Point, Andrews Point, both Little and Dry Salvage, Straitsmouth Island, Emerson Point, Thatchers and Milk islands, and off Long Beach. Farther down the east-facing shore, Bass Rocks and Bemo Ledge on the north side of Brace Cove are two other good targets.

On the west side of Gloucester Harbor, the short stretch from Magnolia to Manchester Harbor is mostly rocky shoreline with limited access, except for a series of four beaches, West, Singing, White and the most eastward Black Beach. Boaters should focus on Kettle Island, Eagle Head, and Egg Rock. Also the rocks along Misery Islands and House Island deserve attention.

Trolling is the method of choice for most of Cape Cod Bay’s deep-water striper anglers. Professional charter captains, who steam out of every major harbor from Plymouth to Provincetown, target the humps, shoals, mussel beds, sand fingers, dropoffs, weed patches, rockpiles and other structure in the bay that could attract bass.

Private-boat anglers can do the same. Some drag big umbrella rigs, others opt for leadhead jigs. But many prefer the tube-and-worm setup that includes 18 to 24 inches of colored surgical tubing, with a sinker embedded in the front and a couple of hooks near the end. Some fishermen attach a sea worm to the last hook.

Depending on the tide and the direction of the troll, paying out two to five colors of lead-core line will keep the rig along the bottom. Your objective is to touch the bottom structure occasionally, but not to drag the lure so deeply that it constantly hangs up.

Cape Cod Bay is big water, and the harbor where a boater launches often influences where he will fish. Some of the prime destinations include Billingsgate Shoal, Woods End and the Race. But as noted earlier, fish are not everywhere, so it’s important to find structure, humps and shoals in deep water. Use a nautical chart of the bay and then a depth sounder or a GPS with a charting program and sounder to find them.