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Cape Cod Canal Fishing Report: Mackerel, Herring, and Pollock on the Ditch
This is Artificial Lure with your Cape Cod Canal fishing report.
Cold start on the Ditch this morning: around the mid‑30s with a stiff northwest breeze and a daytime high only brushing the upper 30s, according to US Harbors for the east end of the Canal. Skies are mostly clear, classic December air that cuts right through your waders.
Tides at Bourne Bridge today are running a moderate set, with four turns: roughly a predawn high, late‑morning low, late‑afternoon high and an evening drop, per NOAA’s Bourne Bridge tide predictions. Plan on the classic play—fish the last of the east current into slack, and again as it turns hard to the west when the bait stacks along the edges.
Sunrise was about 7 a.m. and sunset is just after 4 p.m., so your real window is that mid‑afternoon tide swing into dark. Low sun and moving water are your friends right now.
According to On The Water’s December Cape Cod report, the Canal is still giving up a mixed bag: large mackerel, sea herring, and small pollock on the east end and along the bulkheads. Stripers have pretty much checked out for the season, so think “grocery run,” not trophy hunt.
Action’s been best for guys working Sabiki rigs and small metals vertically off the bulkheads. AJ over at Red Top Sporting Goods has been steering folks toward:
- Sabiki rigs with green or pink flash
- 1–2 ounce Kastmasters, Deadly Dicks, and similar slim tins
Tip those Sabikis with a tiny strip of squid if the bite gets picky.
For bait soakers, fresh or salted squid strips and small pieces of mackerel on high‑low rigs will put herring and the occasional pollock in the bucket. Bring light rods; you’re not winching cows, you’re filling a pail.
A few keepers of each species have been reported the last couple days, nothing crazy, but steady enough that if you put your time in you’ll go home with dinner. The bite has been noticeably better on the east current, especially when the breeze lines the bait up along the Cape side rocks.
Couple local hot spots to consider:
- The east end around Sandwich bulkhead and the herring run, where most of the herring and macks have been coming over the rail.
- The stretch by the Railroad Bridge on the Buzzards Bay side, where the deeper holes hold pollock and scattered macks on the west tide.
Dress for it: you’ll be standing in the teeth of that northwest wind, and it feels colder on the riprap than what the thermometer says. Cleats, headlamp for the late afternoon into dark, and a thermos go a long way.
That’s the word from the Canal. This is Artificial Lure—thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report.
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Published on 1 week, 1 day ago