This was my fifth time at the Cape Cod Canal this year. While all the other times yielded schoolies, today was a day that gave up keepers. Yes, persistence in the Ditch pays off, and if you go enough times sooner or later you will hit it. The Canal is, by far, the best place for a shore plugger to nail a keeper bass in the daytime in southern New England.My son, Ben, and I went down today in some of the nastiest weather I have ever fished. With the remnants of Hurricane Arthur blasting away we slugged it out in wind and heavy rain. Fortunately, we fished a section of the Canal where the howling wind was at our back, a big plus for a long cast. Ben and I each got a keeper. My fish, about 15 lbs., fell for a mackerel colored Daiwa SP Minnow. Ben's fish, a bigger one of 20-25 lbs., smashed a pencil popper on the surface. Ben also had another very large fish on that he lost. No, it wasn't hot and heavy but there were just enough fish busting along the surface to keep our attention and keep us plugging away for several hours.
Most recent reports indicate an uptick in the fishing in the Canal since the first of July. From what the guys are saying that I talked to there have been a fair to good number of fish showing on and off just about every day. You just have to be at the right spot at the right time when the bait (mackerel) and stripers show up. There have also been a few very big fish landed. One guy told me a fifty was taken yesterday.
