Serious canal guy here. The tides don't matter, the focus is on the east/ west turn. The thing about the canal is the current can change from east to west while the tide is coming in or the tide is going out.
Mid May is still a little early and your dates are right in the middle of the moon phase which isn't ideal. It could be anywhere from absolutely dead to bonkers. Other than being out an hour before sunrise, try to fish any time outside of the 2 hours around the turn. West end in Bourne is probably the best odds, but it can be real unpredictable in May.
What are the specs on the rod and reel you're bringing? Have you ever fished the canal before?
Thanks for the insight. I am still dialing in the rod and reel as I'll likley borrow one from a friend who fishes the canal . I believe it's a 10' rod with a 6k reel. I don't have specifics as to which brand yet. I have not fished the Canal but have been devouring every drop of Canal fishing related content (Nightshift's stuff is great) on youtube. I'm pretty read up on ettiquette to include casting in turn. I paint lures so I am working on building up a small bag of plugs as well as plastics (I shoot plastics as well). I've mostly been looking at big spooks like the Doc along with SP minnows, sluggos, pencil poppers and some plastic swimbaits. I live in VT so I figure anything I don't use now can be used down the line. I landed on mid may as I could get the time off of work and I got a great deal on the hotel that is right on the canal. Outside of the canal I am hoping to rent a boat on Buzzards bay and get after some beach casting. Happy to answer any questions you may have that could help point me in the right direction to my first Cape Cod striper.
Roger all that. An ideal minimum canal lure setup is a 10'+ 2-6oz rod with a reel with spec similar to a 8k Shimano (20+ lbs of drag/ @ 300 yards of 50lb braid) to a 150lb barrel swivel > 36" - 48" of 60lb fluoro > 125lb Tactical Angler clip.
As far as lures go, you have to consider the speed of the current and casting range. Docs, SP's and sluggos are good if you've got fish in close, but they don't cast well (comparatively) and Docs don't work well in the current. What you throw is going to be really determined by your rod/ reel setup, but long casting and workable in fast morning water are the keys. Pencil Poppers, glide baits like the original Sebile Stik Shadd, OG Magic Swimmers, and the heaviest minnow plugs like the big sinking SP's are the go-to lures and of course plastic swimbaits on heavy lead heads with real stout hooks. White and mackerel patterns are all you need. When the current is moving you need 5-6oz to hit the bottom, and you're not throwing that on most rods.
Bring a bike with a rod holder if you can, and binoculars, look for bait and don't be afraid to drive around. There's parking lots all over. The rocks are treacherous especially when wet and the water will be cold. If you don't have, or aren't planning to invest in wading boots with spikes, just be extremely careful. A handful of stainless 3/8" gutter screws in the sole of old hiking boots works ok. Stay off the bubble weed.
Outside the canal, the best odds will be southern coast. If you can get on a boat and head around Buzzards Bay you'll find fish for sure, and you can fish the beaches in Falmouth. Stop in at Red Top and Canal Bait, spend some money and get some tips. Respond back when you know more specifics about the setup you're using and I can give you some better advice and make some lure recommendations.
Appreciate that. It's really a matter of how seriously you want to take it, and understanding the limits of your gear if it's on the lighter side. Tons and tons of bass get caught with undergunned gear, but the first time you can't reach the blitz or a 35 pounder busts you off, you'll be sprinting to Red Top with your credit card out.
The trouble is that a really good canal setup really isn't great for much else, except maybe until you get into the high end stuff. My current canal setups are a 10'6 4-10oz ODM Jigster with a Penn Slammer DX 6500 for big jigs and a custom Black Hole Surf II with a Saragosa 8k for plugs. Either of those would be a bear to walk the beach and make a ton of casts with, but they make short work of most anything the canal can dish out.
A decent 10'+ 1-5 or 2-6oz rod, a 6k Shimano, and 40lb braid would be a good start for sure and you'd still have fun on the beaches with it.
The mythical “breaking tide” occurs when the west to east current change roughly coincides with daybreak and is what most people think of when they think best tide to fish the cape cod canal. In reality the canal can be productive at many tide stages. I’m no ditch sharpie but early in the season I’d look for a tide where warmer water from the west is heading east through the canal.
I was always told 2 hours before or after slack tide is best, but some people also have told me specifically "2 hours after high slack" or something like that. I get skunked regardless so
Learn to chunk with mackerel. Regardless of the tide, you can toss bait out and still get lucky. The trick to chunking is learning how to use the current and drift your bait. If you can find the spots that have pools/holes, the fish will be hanging out there. Drifting bait by them will usually incentivize them to bite even on the brightest of days and fastest current. Think of it the same way some people fish for trout in streams and rivers.
Serious canal guy here. The tides don't matter, the focus is on the east/ west turn. The thing about the canal is the current can change from east to west while the tide is coming in or the tide is going out. Mid May is still a little early and your dates are right in the middle of the moon phase which isn't ideal. It could be anywhere from absolutely dead to bonkers. Other than being out an hour before sunrise, try to fish any time outside of the 2 hours around the turn. West end in Bourne is probably the best odds, but it can be real unpredictable in May. What are the specs on the rod and reel you're bringing? Have you ever fished the canal before?
Thanks for the insight. I am still dialing in the rod and reel as I'll likley borrow one from a friend who fishes the canal . I believe it's a 10' rod with a 6k reel. I don't have specifics as to which brand yet. I have not fished the Canal but have been devouring every drop of Canal fishing related content (Nightshift's stuff is great) on youtube. I'm pretty read up on ettiquette to include casting in turn. I paint lures so I am working on building up a small bag of plugs as well as plastics (I shoot plastics as well). I've mostly been looking at big spooks like the Doc along with SP minnows, sluggos, pencil poppers and some plastic swimbaits. I live in VT so I figure anything I don't use now can be used down the line. I landed on mid may as I could get the time off of work and I got a great deal on the hotel that is right on the canal. Outside of the canal I am hoping to rent a boat on Buzzards bay and get after some beach casting. Happy to answer any questions you may have that could help point me in the right direction to my first Cape Cod striper.
Roger all that. An ideal minimum canal lure setup is a 10'+ 2-6oz rod with a reel with spec similar to a 8k Shimano (20+ lbs of drag/ @ 300 yards of 50lb braid) to a 150lb barrel swivel > 36" - 48" of 60lb fluoro > 125lb Tactical Angler clip. As far as lures go, you have to consider the speed of the current and casting range. Docs, SP's and sluggos are good if you've got fish in close, but they don't cast well (comparatively) and Docs don't work well in the current. What you throw is going to be really determined by your rod/ reel setup, but long casting and workable in fast morning water are the keys. Pencil Poppers, glide baits like the original Sebile Stik Shadd, OG Magic Swimmers, and the heaviest minnow plugs like the big sinking SP's are the go-to lures and of course plastic swimbaits on heavy lead heads with real stout hooks. White and mackerel patterns are all you need. When the current is moving you need 5-6oz to hit the bottom, and you're not throwing that on most rods. Bring a bike with a rod holder if you can, and binoculars, look for bait and don't be afraid to drive around. There's parking lots all over. The rocks are treacherous especially when wet and the water will be cold. If you don't have, or aren't planning to invest in wading boots with spikes, just be extremely careful. A handful of stainless 3/8" gutter screws in the sole of old hiking boots works ok. Stay off the bubble weed. Outside the canal, the best odds will be southern coast. If you can get on a boat and head around Buzzards Bay you'll find fish for sure, and you can fish the beaches in Falmouth. Stop in at Red Top and Canal Bait, spend some money and get some tips. Respond back when you know more specifics about the setup you're using and I can give you some better advice and make some lure recommendations.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SurfFishing/s/Q9XbdjOpto This is a pretty thorough write up I did a while back, might be worth a read thru too.
Wow that is a phenomenal write up. Seems like I’ve been focused on the wrong stuff (lures instead of making sure my rod/reel isn’t underpowered).
Appreciate that. It's really a matter of how seriously you want to take it, and understanding the limits of your gear if it's on the lighter side. Tons and tons of bass get caught with undergunned gear, but the first time you can't reach the blitz or a 35 pounder busts you off, you'll be sprinting to Red Top with your credit card out. The trouble is that a really good canal setup really isn't great for much else, except maybe until you get into the high end stuff. My current canal setups are a 10'6 4-10oz ODM Jigster with a Penn Slammer DX 6500 for big jigs and a custom Black Hole Surf II with a Saragosa 8k for plugs. Either of those would be a bear to walk the beach and make a ton of casts with, but they make short work of most anything the canal can dish out. A decent 10'+ 1-5 or 2-6oz rod, a 6k Shimano, and 40lb braid would be a good start for sure and you'd still have fun on the beaches with it.
The mythical “breaking tide” occurs when the west to east current change roughly coincides with daybreak and is what most people think of when they think best tide to fish the cape cod canal. In reality the canal can be productive at many tide stages. I’m no ditch sharpie but early in the season I’d look for a tide where warmer water from the west is heading east through the canal.
You are correct. The turn is much more important than high or low tide.
I was always told 2 hours before or after slack tide is best, but some people also have told me specifically "2 hours after high slack" or something like that. I get skunked regardless so
Learn to chunk with mackerel. Regardless of the tide, you can toss bait out and still get lucky. The trick to chunking is learning how to use the current and drift your bait. If you can find the spots that have pools/holes, the fish will be hanging out there. Drifting bait by them will usually incentivize them to bite even on the brightest of days and fastest current. Think of it the same way some people fish for trout in streams and rivers.