Cuttyhunk sits at the outer end of the Elizabeth Islands, and few places carry more striped bass history. The Sow and Pigs reef off its western tip, and the rips around the island, have produced trophy bass for well over a century, and still do.
The ground
Fish the Sow and Pigs reef and the rips around the island, where current sweeps over structure and stacks bait. Big bass hold in the rips and along the reef edges.
How to fish it
Classic rip tactics with soft plastics, jigs and plugs, and live eels at night, the time-honored Cuttyhunk method for the biggest fish. The current and the rocks demand careful boat handling.
Tip Cuttyhunk earned its reputation on live eels after dark. When you are hunting a genuine trophy, drifting an eel through the rips around Sow and Pigs at night is as proven a method as exists in striper fishing.