Cape Cod Canal Striper Fishing Hot Spots

Surely nothing can beat the excitement of watching as a substantial striped bass smashes a surface plug at the Cape Cod Canal. Having said that, in relation to continually finding and catching big fish in the "Big Ditch," concentrating on working the deeper section of the land cut usually pays off more often and with much more consistency than working the top.

But one can not anticipate to just chuck a jig, bait or lure any place in the Cape Cod Canal and expect to be recognized with big bass. The Cape Cod Canal does have its fish filled areas and dead zones like all other bass fishing hot spots up and down the striper coast. Being capable of finding the extraordinary precipaces, underwater hills, rugged ledges and unremitting rips is key to consistently taking large fish off the Canal's bottom.

Fish flock to regions of structure like bees to honey. Frequently stripers will position themselves deep in a hole, or directly behind a rip. The structure disturbs the relentless current, almost like a building blocks a harsh breeze.

Traditional bass theory states that cow stripers will make use of current obstructing pieces of structure to realize a competitive advantage over bait fish. The strong Cape Cod Canal current pushes all sorts of bait fish and prey downstream. Crafty striped bass will pick a spot downcurrent of a piece of structure, then attack their prey while it tumbles within the swift current.

One of the most effective ways to discover spots worth fishing is to pay attention to variations in the surface water of the Big Ditch. Fish holding pieces of structure will usually create disturbances in the natural movement of the current. Most likely, clues to the spot of the bass attracting structure shows itself as a wake, ripple, whirlpool etc. on the surface of the canal.

Trekking the banks of the Cape Cod Canal, or even better driving your bicycle on the service road, and keeping an eye out for differences on the canal's surface is an excellent technique to, at the very least, obtain an idea of where to throw a lure, jig, plug or bait.

Standing waves are perhaps one of the most tell-tale clues to an underwater ledge or rocky peak. If you stumble upon an area with standing waves, the fish holding structure would be found just up current of the waves. This applies with regards to any kind of variation on the surface-the striper attracting structure is always just up current.

The time has come to zone in on the exact site of the structure you will be basing your fishing efforts around. This may be accomplished by fan casting a location using a jig or bank sinker. Be sure to cast a jig or sinker weighty enough to arrive on the Canal's bottom despite the fast current. I usually start out with four ounces and move heavier or lighter according to current conditions.

Cast your offering up current and keep a precise count on the amount of seconds it takes the jig to get to bottom. Certainly the shallower the water, the more quickly the lure will get to the bottom-the deeper the water, the more time it will take for the jig or lure to reach bottom.

To provide an example, one exceptional canal jigging location that I frequent each May and June features a tall prominent peak as well as a deep, steep hole. 7 seconds is required to reach bottom atop the peak. Having said that when cast into the deep gulley, it can take my jig or lure twenty seconds to arrive on the bottom. Thanks to the change in the amount of seconds required for my jig to reach bottom, I can be sure that I'm succeeding in presenting my offering smack dab down the middle of the strike zone.

Fan casting a location like this is easiest in the last hour or so of the west tide, slack tide, as well as the first hour of the east tide.

The Canal is full of excellent fishing hot spots. Yet it can take a long time and effort to uncover the most productive spots.

Nevertheless if regularly pulling big striped bass off the canal's bottom is a must to you, then the energy put into revealing these leading jigging spots will likely to be worth the work necessary to find them.