Artificial Lure here with your Cape Cod Canal fishing report for late afternoon, Sunday, September 21st, 2025.

We kicked off the day with sunrise at 6:31 AM and sunset at 6:37 PM. Today saw a strong tidal swing—tide tables from Buzzards Bay Entrance to Sagamore’s sta. 115 put tidal coefficients at 85–91, which means powerful currents and lots of movement all day. High tides topped out just over 4 feet mid-morning and again around dinnertime, with lows dipping just above zero a few hours either side. These big coefficients spell classic Canal fishing: maximize your chances by hitting slack-to-ebb transitions and playing the bends where the current boils.

Weather shaped up mild—a touch of late-summer humidity, plenty of sun, and a light SW breeze most of the day. Water temps in the low 60s, and no heavy surf, keeping things friendly for both shorebound and jetty anglers.

Now for the real story: fish activity. The last week has delivered the kind of action Canal regulars wait all year for. As reported by My Fishing Cape Cod and locals over at Red Top, there’s been a mixed bag: **striped bass up into the low 30-inch range**, keeper blues, and even a stray bonito or two. The legendary September fall run is in full swing—stripers are pushing bait hard during the early morning flood, while bluefish seem to be more random, crushing topwater mid-channel and occasionally wiping out unlucky plugs near the banks. Word from AJ Coots at Red Top is that the fish have been “eating well,” with some days bringing double-digit catches, especially for those fishing first light or late dusk.

Best lures? It's tough to top the Canal classics right now:
- **Savage Gear sand eels** — up-current swings and dead drifts produced multiple fish.
- **Super Strike Darters** and Mag Darters — dusk and first light.
- **Hogy paddletails & Epoxy Jigs** — great for covering ground and matching the rain bait flush.
- If you like old-school, **swimming plugs** and the ever-reliable bucktail jig with a curly tail trailer still bring strikes.

Live and cut bait: **live eels** on the shadow side after sunset, and chunk mackerel for set-line folks. Both delivered solid stripers throughout the week, especially around the pilings and rocky dropoffs.

Want the hottest spots? Locals are focusing on:
- **The west end near the Bourne Bridge** — the night bite has been consistent, with big stripers patrolling the shadow lines.
- **Sagamore Run**, near the Railroad Bridge — catch the outgoing tide for both blues and bass, and watch for surface blitzes.
- The “Cribbin’ Bench” between poles 300–210 is drawing diehards using big plugs, with reports of a couple bass pushing 36 inches putting on a show before dawn.

Also, don’t ignore the slack water near the *East End*, especially where bait gets funneled past the rock clusters. If the water’s moving, stick with jigs. If it’s still, swap to soft plastics—white and chartreuse got hit hard all week.

A final word—don’t forget your safety vest, and bring extra tackle: the Canal has been swallowing gear with her teeth lately, especially with these rippy currents. If you get a bluebird evening, stick it out past sunset—this is when those big fall fish commit.

Thanks for tuning in to the Cape Cod Canal report! Be sure to subscribe and catch next week’s updates. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI