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Cape Cod Canal Late Season Fishing: Slow and Low for the Last Holdovers
Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Cape Cod Canal fishing report.
Cold start on the canal this morning: East Sandwich weather from US Harbors shows temps in the mid‑30s with a light to moderate northwest breeze, bright and clear. That kind of crisp air and clear sky has the fish a little sluggish early, but it sets up nicely once the sun climbs and the current starts trucking.
NOAA’s Bourne Bridge tide table for mid‑December shows a classic two‑high, two‑low pattern with about 4–5 feet of swing, so expect a solid push of current through the middle of each tide. Slack is short; your window is the beginning and end of each run. CapeTides’ canal numbers back that up with low water early, building into a stronger afternoon flood. That afternoon east‑to‑west current is the best bet for anyone tossing metal or jigs.
Sun’s up right around 7:00 a.m. and down near 4:15–4:20 p.m. according to the Sagamore tide and solunar tables, which gives you a tight pair of low‑light bites. Dawn for the outgoing, last hour of light for the building flood – that’s when the canal usually gives up its better fish, even in the late season.
Action-wise, it’s typical December: the bulk of the migratory stripers are gone, but a handful of local schoolies are still being picked off by the die‑hards. Reports from the east end and down around the railroad bridge this past week mention “a few small bass” on jigs and soft plastics, mostly in the 16–22 inch class, nothing like the fall run numbers. A couple of folks poking the deeper holes are still finding white perch and the odd codling after dark. For sheer numbers, the scup and tog show is basically over in the main ditch, though a few tog have been hanging on structure closer to the bay.
Best offerings right now are **slow and low**. Fish a 1–2 ounce bucktail tipped with red or white pork rind, or a slim soft plastic on a jig head – think 4–5 inch sand eel imitations in olive, bone, or black. Let it sink, then crawl it just off bottom with the current. Metals still earn their keep: 2–3 ounce jigging spoons and Kastmaster‑style tins will work the deeper slots if you yo‑yo them instead of burning them in. If you’re soaking bait, fresh or salted clam strips and seaworms on a hi‑lo rig will take perch and the occasional holdover bass; just keep your weight heavy enough to stay pinned in that Canal sweep.
Couple of hot spots to consider:
- The **Sagamore east end**: fish along the marsh side and around the herring run outflow. That stretch always seems to hold the last few winter bass, especially on the start of the east‑to‑west push.
- The **railroad bridge down toward Bourne Bridge**: deep holes, strong current seams, and good winter structure. Work the edges of the channel from the service road, especially the first hour of the flood.
Dress warm, pick your tide, and don’t expect mayhem – this is scratch‑’em‑out fishing season, but there are still a few Canal rats bending rods if you put in the time.
Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more local fishing reports and tips.
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Published on 1 week, 6 days ago