Charter, Fishing Tackle and Information Services for the Cape Cod Outdoors Person

[Outdoor music]

At Cape Cod Outdoors want to provide you with the advantages the locals have in enjoying the Cape. Time and knowledge are the most valuable commodities. So here are services designed to help you make the best use of your time.

 

Charters &  Guiding

 

Guiding Information (Charters 10% OFF in May)

Chartering is one way to discover, learn and make use of the outdoors in the most efficient manner possible. Use the years of experience and hard won knowledge of your guide to take you to what you're looking for and share with you the best ways to continue to find it on your own. The possibilities are endless . . .

 

 

2)The Six Best Striper/Blues Lures

How about a half dozen locally proven fishing lures
and instructions on how to use them with success on Stripers and Blues??? (Available again in '99)

After thirty years of fishing the Cape and more than a decade of fishing the Cape year round from the Canal to P'town (from shore, beach and boat) for Stripers, Blues and Bonito, I've discovered that there are six lures that I use about 95% of the time. Six lures of a specific size, color, make and weight that get the most hits and catch the most fish. These are original, high quality commercially produced lures, not copies.

It came to me while preparing my gear bag this spring, that these are the lures I make sure to take everywhere I go. Furthermore, after a lot of thought and rereading my journals, I saw that these six lures are responsible for most of the fish I've caught at everytime of day or night and every place I fish. Others with me have experienced the same success with these lures.

I got the idea of putting them all together for the serious saltwater fisherman. Then one of my fishing buddies said, "but its the way you use them that's important, too". Okay. I've written up a how-to for each lure and included it with them and I call them altogether, "The Chatham Pack." Since that's where I live and guide and fish most of the time. But I also want you to know that I fish these same lures in Cotuit and Falmouth, the Canal and Barnstable Harbor, Wellfleet, Race Point and Nauset. These aren't the big surf castin' lures of three ounces or more, these are shore and boat lures for the medium to heavy spinning gear most of us use.
Now you can always get some argument out of the locals about something that works better for them (if they'll tell you!). And I could add six more lures that cover the other 5% of fishing situations but these here are the best and do it all.

I've packaged them up in their original boxes and they are by the way: two "poppers", a swimming plug and three "spoons"; together with my instructions for how and where to use each one. Plus I've added another couple hundred words of local fish information and suggestions. You can order them from Cape Cod Outdoors for $42.00 for the six of 'em (not $39.95 or $44.88) (postage, handling and tax included!). That's less than they'd retail for and they're all together so you won't have to hunt around trying to find or order the ones that are usually out of stock (for obvious reasons, the locals grab 'em up each spring!).

Now I consider $42 a chunk of money...BUT if you have these, you won't be wasting three times that much money on the wrong lures that you buy and use once and change out while frantically searching for what works. I'm serious here, these work! I buy a couple dozen each for myself before the season so I'll have enough to get me started and cover my losses from chew-ups and break-offs. Once you've got 'em and use 'em, you'll be happy you have 'em. (The price is unchanged for '98.)

Frankly, my name is on this page and my reputation for integrity and honesty is worth more to me than a coupla bucks. I've become known from my fishin' show and I write for a couple of publications. What people think of me makes a difference to me. Now, fishing isn't rocket science but any lure can take a few minutes to figure out how to use. That's why I've included the instructions to help you get started out right. If you use these lures, wherever you're fishing, as I've described that they work best, then they should give you a heck of a good time catchin' all around the Cape! (Up and down the east coast too.)

Finally, besides this being the best selection of lures you can start with (or improve your catch with), the fishing information I've provided with them goes beyond what I've already offered under "fishing" or "local knowledge" on this website. I also discuss terminal tackle, including: hooks, snaps and leaders. All more important than you might think! In addition, I review fish behavior that is important for the fisherman to consider around here, lure choice and even bait fishin'. I'll even throw in the right size snaps for your use, just to get you started out right, 'cause the little things count.

A friend who looked over what I'm offering said, "You're giving a lot away!" Well, why not! There's enough for all of us, isn't there?

Mail to: CCO (Chatham Pack), P.O. Box 591, N. Chatham, MA, 02650. Lets trust each other, a check's okay and you should have 'em in less than three weeks. Much less if I can.

(.....Note: All these lures cast and work well on 14 lb. test line. 12 lb. is too light and while 17 lb, is a bit safer it is also heavier than you need and cuts down the action a bit. )

"The Short List"

3)Cape Cod Outdoors offers "the short list" service to its clients. The client's subscription to the short list puts them on the list to be alerted by phone on those days that big schools of big Stripers (or Blues) enter the Bay unexpectedly. This occurs only once or twice each season and lasts for two or three days. The fishing on these days is remarkable for even the Bay and fish size is usually well into the "keeper" range. In addition, clients will be called (I'll always make at least three attempts to notify you directly) and alerted, in advance, when conditions allow a "prediction" of above average fishing. This occurs two or three times each summer and conditions last only a day or two. My prediction success has been 66% the last three years. In all, "the short list" clients are alerted to aproximately half a dozen of the best fishing days of the year. The cost is $25/year. Short list members should provide home, office and beeper numbers. You can call me at (508) 945-6052 or 945-3812 or Email me, Michael Eichenseer, to discuss this more if you'd like. Or if you just want to sign up, drop me a check for $25.00 at: C.C.O., P.O. Box 591, N. Chatham, MA 02650 and I'll put you on the list. BE SURE TO ADD YOUR PHONE NUMBERS (home and office) AND THE TIMES YOU ARE THERE!!! It will also help me if I can note on the list what type of fishing you do and are interested in and how far you are commuting. Boat or no boat? All this helps me inform you to your advantage. If you are planning a trip to the Cape, I'll also let you know how the fishing has been, if you email me in advance.

Pre-Programming your LORAN 4) I'll program the LORAN (or GPS) on your locally moored boat to the local aids to navigation for you. That is, I'll program the waypoints on your LORAN/GPS to all the local buoys that were set out this year. And if your boat is moored in the area, I can do it before your arrival and provide you with a chart and listings of the work done so you can head out as soon as you arrive. (Watch for my article on Navigating Pleasant Bay coming out this summer in On The Water magazine.)

Is this a valuable service?
Well, a couple of years ago a fellow came up to me on the water in THICK fog and asked, "Are the buoys in the same places as last year?" I simply said "no", and because he couldn't see shore and didn't have his LORAN programmed to the new channels and buoys, he couldn't go anywhere without the risk of grounding or collision. He couldn't find the fish and he couldn't even return to the dock safely.
Setting waypoints has to be done every year (around Chatham Harbors, at least) because of shifting sand bars, moved moorings, new channels and the fact that channel buoys are retrieved and then replaced each year in new positions.

Reprogramming and logging the new waypoints is a job that may take you from a few hours to a full day and has to be done in good visibility, not in the fog and not in a rush. It also has to be done with planning and care to make the waypoint settings available in a logical manner when they are needed most. And it's a job that can only be done right by taking the boat to the buoy and logging that buoy into a waypoint for best repeatability. (Every year I get asked for a listing of buoys and their locations (L/L) to be used to navigate in limited visibility by newcomers. Every year I say no because another LORAN/GPS could read a L/L a hundred yards different from the one on my boat and that could cause an accident and then, of course, I'd be blamed. The job has to be done on your boat to be done right!)

Once done, the boater/fisher can use their LORAN/GPS and navigate with the common rules of maritime caution to safety or the fishin' hole in even zero visibility.

I've been reprogramming Lorans for years in the early spring to prepare for summer. And I've been doing it for friends for just as long. Having reliable LORAN waypoints enables me to navigate to any point in the fog, beyond or back again while others can't. I can navigate to previously discovered hotspots and even discover new action safely in limited visibility because I know where I am and where to avoid the dangers. To navigate safely and effectively is my goal and the goal of those I fish, motor and sail with.

If you think you'd be interested in my programming your onboard LORAN or GPS for you (or with you!) in and around Pleasant Bay, let me know by Email below and I will get back to you so we can talk it over. (Its already late in the season, 4/20, and I'm getting busy so please understand if I say no. I'll schedule it if I can but I only have so much time, you understand.) References available, of course.
You can reach me through: Cape Cod Outdoors, P.O. Box 591, N. Chatham, MA 02650 - or (508) 945-6052 & 945-3812 - or michael@capecodoutdoors.com

5) Cape Cod Outdoors is offering videotapes of Cape Cod from the air.

We realized that this is one of the ways that we can provide a lot of information to the visitor who doesn't have a lot of time to look around for themselves. These videos are being shot now so that they will be as up to date as possible, showing only the most recent changes in shoreline, development and forests. These videos are being shot at low tide to give the viewer the most information possible about local shore conditions.
The view from above is very revealing and these videos show off the beauty as well as the resources of Cape Cod. From 500', one can clearly see shore, pond and shallow water features, forest and park. The viewer can discover those places they want to find on Cape: a quiet beach, a forest or a secluded pond, without the need for hours in traffic or days on the water.

These tapes will not be available until June to allow for last minute updates. If you are interested in one or all of the tapes (they will be formatted as lower, middle, upper Cape and the Islands), leave us an Email through the URL below and we'll get back to you about availability and cost. I expect the standard $20.00 each (not $19.95 or $20.88) will be about right.
If you had a special request for a video, now would be the time to let us know. An aerial circumnavigation of the homestead or an overview of a special fishing hole or hiking area perhaps? These videos cost less than satelite photos and are much more dynamic. Let us know your interests and we'll see what we can do!

 

Email Capt. Michael Eichenseer, webmaster.

You are the outdoor visitor to Cape Cod Outdoors. Welcome!

1999