OK. My wife(school teacher) spends most of the summer weekdays down the cape in Dennis and Dennisport. She comes home some weekends and some weekends I go to the cape. I have two boys ( 8 and 5). Well, most likely I am headed to the cape this coming weekend for the three day weekend. I am mostly a freshwater fisherman with the kids. However, I have been reading this board and some others and a few books on Surfcasting.

My oldest boy loves Nauset beach for the waves. In one of the books, it mentioned that some huge stripers have been caught of the beach at Nauset.

So, If I had a day( or early morning, or late evening) to fish mainly by myself, where should I go?

Another newbie question. I have a f-250 extended cab, short bed with truck boxes on the side. I have been looking for some type of rod holder to mount to the sides of the truck boxes, but I think I might just make some out of PVC and some clamps. Any ideas from someone who has been there and done that.

I know recommedations will differ from one person to the next, but any recommendations for a "starter" rod and reel? Not rock bottom stuff, but not overkill either(for surfcasting). Read I am not a cheap person but more of a value buyer. I figured that if I have to cross the bridge a few times every summer, I might as well try to catch some fish. I usually leave for home real late at night on sunday anyways, why not fish for a few hours while the traffic thins out.

Oh..... glad to be aboard.

Mike

Anyone local to Westford, Chelmsford, Lowell to show me the ropes?

you can pick up an Ocean Master surf combo for $150 at Bass Pro, the rod is all fuji guides, they are pretty nice for the value. 10ft is a decent all around rod size.

As for the rod mounts on your truck, I wouldn't put them straight up, you will probably hit the rods on trees, lines, etc and break them.

I've never fished around Nauset so I can't recommend anything there, but a lot of people like to fish the canal.

The Tica Dolphin and Penn Pro Guide rods are great inexpensive rods, around $100, and I've always been a fan of Penn reels, the Slammer 360 is what I use on my 9' Tica. As far as Nauset, check out Frank Daignault's book "Eastern Tides", a great read and a lot of info on Nauset and the Race intertwined in the stories. In general, for saltwater, look for places with current and ambush spots where fish can hide and feed on what comes along.