Estuaries and marshes have always been early-season hot spots for several important reasons. First, the water in estuaries can be 10 degrees warmer than the ocean. Second, many estuaries are home to herring runs.
The month of May can be a great time to fish Cape Cod's numerous marshes and estuaries. In fact, it's where I've been spending almost all of my shore fishing time so far this spring.
In this report I'll share with you the story of my first estuary trip of May which occurred back on May 3rd. Let's dive right in!
As you can see from the photo above, estuaries are like an all you can eat buffet of shellfish, crustaceans, and numerous bait fish.
May 3rd, 2024
My first guided shore fishing trip of the season was scheduled for May 5th, but with the cool start to spring the water temp was barely hitting 50 degrees, and I was concerned there would be no fish around.
So on the afternoon of May 3rd I decided to do some recon. The sun was shining bright but the air still a bit nippy as I hiked out into the estuary shown below.
My hope was that the water in the estuary would be warmer than the open ocean. Perhaps there would also be some herring to draw the bass in.
Nevertheless I was still a bit skeptical because I had not heard much about anyone catching bass of any size on Cape.
Before you go running to fish an estuary, I want to make sure you know that estuaries can be treacherous places to fish from. Most estuaries have a strong current that can sweep you off your feet, so be sure to wear a tight wading belt around your waders at all times. Other spots have steep drop offs so you need to watch where you step. Finally, estuaries are muddy and slippery, so falling down is a real possibility. Proceed with caution!
My Favorite Tide for Estuaries
As I've mentioned before on MFCC, my favorite tide for most estuaries is the last part of the outgoing and the first part of the incoming.
It's during this stage of the tide that the water level in the estuary is at its' lowest. Any bait or bass is funneled into the deeper sections of the estuary, which makes them easier to find and catch.
Each spot is different, but in general I find the last part of the outgoing and the first part of the incoming most productive at estuaries. At this stage of the tide there is less water in the marsh, which forces bait and bass into channels and deeper troughs where they are easier to find and catch. When fishing an estuary, I like to look for deeper channels. These areas look dark blue on Google Earth.
After quite the hike I arrived at a spot where a dark blue channel came within casting range. I feel as if stripers use these channels as "highways" through estuaries, especially during lower portions of the tide.
The tide was still outgoing when I began making casts.
2 Productive Lures for Estuaries
Everything you cast along the beach can work in the estuary. Nevertheless the two lures I've been having good luck with this spring have been small pencil poppers and swimmers.
On May 3rd I started by casting a 1.25oz Guppy Lil' P pencil popper during the last of the outgoing. To my delight I actually got a nice topwater hit about 30 minutes into casting!
Pencil poppers worked left-to-right across the surface can produce great topwater hits! However it takes some practice to get the technique right.
The good ole' Bomber is a class striper lure that's worked well for me so far this spring.
I fished the rest of the outgoing and got several bites on the pencil and the Bomber. However the bass seemed sluggish and were just barely swiping at the lures.
Roughly 1 hour into the incoming a school of about 30 river herring swam right up to my feet before spooking and disappearing into deeper water.
I figured this was a great sign! Where there are herring, there are often bass. Perhaps the incoming tide would be more productive.
Aggressive Bass on the Incoming
It took a little while but 30 minutes after the herring encounter I received a big hit while retrieving my old trusty yellow Bomber at a medium speed. I was shocked by the size of the fish!
I think this bass from May 3rd was probably a holdover, because at the time I had not heard about anyone catching fresh migratory bass of this size on Cape.
My guess is that this was a holdover striper that had spent the winter somewhere tucked up inside the estuary. I figure it was a holdover because at that time I had not heard about anyone on Cape catching fresh migratory fish of that size.
With that said the bass had some sea lice on it. I think this bass was probably still a holdover, but one that may of left the estuary, picked up sea lice, and then returned.
For the next two hours I caught a handful more bass including a slot size fish I decided to bring home. Without a doubt the bass were much more aggressive and in the feeding mode during the incoming contrasted to the outgoing.
This is something I've noticed a lot this spring. The bass have been much easier to catch during the first part of the incoming, contrasted to the outgoing.
In Conclusion
After catching fish on May 3rd I decided to bring MFCC members Gary McNabb, Neville Anthony, Mike Pierce and his son Lucas to the same area for our guided trip on May 5th.
The fishing was pretty good during the last part of the outgoing, but once again it really turned on during the first part of the incoming. We had a blast!
In conclusion I'll try to write up some more reports from recent estuary adventures, including a recap of this past weekend's Cheeky Fly Fishing Tournament. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, if you're looking for consistent action during May, then feel free to try an estuary or the nearby beaches. There are still plenty of herring around, and the water inside estuaries is as much a 10 degrees warmer than the ocean.
Good luck, tight lines, and take care! 
About the author
Ryan Collins
I'm fortunate to have grown up on the beach, and I've been fishing since kindergarten. I have great family, friends and fishing experiences to be thankful for. Just being out there is enough-catching fish is just a bonus!
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