THE PYRAMIDS, MA
Cuttyhunk used to be hallowed ground, a place no one talked about and that fewer visited. It’s a place that has made surfcasting famous—it might be considered one of the birthplaces of our sport and the history of catches that have been logged there only serve to bolster those claims. One of the spots that has made ‘Cutty’ famous for surfmen is an area on the southwest bend of the island known as The Pyramids.
It’s one of the easiest spots you’ll ever have to identify thanks to a grouping of concrete pyramids that used to anchor some kind of tower or radar reflector before they slid down off the bluff over a decade ago. They now rest at the beginning of one of the most productive stretches on Cuttyhunk. This spot fishes best with some kind of onshore wind; southwest and south are great but for some reason a southeast wind seems to really crank up the bite. This is one of those spots that fishes even better with high surf.
In late September and early October, this spot has the potential to produce catches that will make your head spin. My fishing partner hit this spot during the onset of a nor’easter, before the winds turned east and hit the mother lode of striped bass. Over the course of three days, he caught so many fish between 23 and 40 pounds that he lost count. All of the guys that went with him on the trip stayed at the club thinking the water would be too rough. If you listen to the wind, you can still hear them crying!
By day this spot begs to be probed with a large pencil popper while the nearshore washes ask for attention from your favorite metal lip. Even after dark, the long-casting pencil popper can be your friend. The water in this stretch is not terribly deep so sometimes all that’s needed is a big target. One September when I was there, the wind was so strong out of the south that we couldn’t cast much else but pencils—I reeled mine in straight after the sun went down for a good score of bass to 25 pounds—the eelers were all catching Z’s!
The best artificials for dark-hour casting would be large metal lips and big needles. Something with the shoulders to call a big bass up off the bottom like a three-ounce Danny or a Beachmaster Wadd Needlefish should get the call. If the wind really howls, try the old standby Hab’s Needle or a Super Strike Little Neck (Bottle) Swimmer. Red Fins and Atom Juniors should also have a safe place in your surf bag. These plugs will all have their time at The Pyramids and they all catch.
If you want to mine this area for the biggest fish, get out onto one of the leading rocks and fish with live or rigged eels. Don’t be deterred if you don’t hook up right away, keep at it and you will be rewarded. Beef up your leader material and fish with a bad attitude—and make sure you have lots of eels and bring your rigging kit because when the fish come in, they show up in force and they always seem to be in the mood to bust some tackle.
