Artificial Lure reporting from the Cape Cod Canal, and today’s Sunday September 28th bite brought classic fall conditions and some real opportunities for those who put in the time at the rail.

Sunrise came at 6:36 am and sunset will be 6:28 pm. We’ve got a dropping tide through the morning, with low tide peaking just before 4 am at 6.7 feet, then building to a 2.0 foot high by 10:11 am, before the afternoon outgoing pulls through 4:05 pm at 7.6 feet. Tidal coefficients are running 38 today—which means the currents will be moderate, so plan accordingly: not much sweep, but still enough movement to trigger feeding[7].

Heavy cloud cover, light northeast wind getting up to 10 knots, and temps riding just below 60 degrees kept things cool all night and into the morning. The water’s been moving well with yesterday’s light rain and that always wakes up the bait, so anglers on the canal found themselves with so many blitzes they almost forgot about coffee[4].

Fish activity’s been lively since midweek. Bait balls of peanut bunker, silversides, and some decent size herring have been schooled up tight to the edges—especially around the east end near the Railroad Bridge and down at the Herring Run. Stripers followed in lockstep, hammering bait just below the surface at first light and popping up in the deeper channel by late morning. Most fish in the past two days have been keepers: a solid run of schoolies between 20–26 inches, but plenty of mid-slot 32–36 inchers came over the wall, especially on the evening tides.

Bluefish are still showing in spurts, but not as thick as last week. Anglers reported a couple choppers near the bike path above the Bourne Bridge, some pushing ten pounds, most mid-sized. A few lucky folks landed false albacore during the midday hard current—they’ve been fast movers but if you hit them right you’re in for a fight.

Best lures this morning were all about profile and flash: top producers were 5-to-7 inch swim shads (white or bunker patterns), loaded Canal minnows, and classic Guppy Pencil Poppers if you can access the shadow lines at sun-up. Soft plastics like Gravity Tackle Eels rigged on 1–2 oz heads have been deadly at the Herring Run like usual, drifting through the seam. Metal lip swimmers and SP Minnows in bone or chrome are still getting hit around mid-tide, especially just west of the Sagamore Bridge.

Live bait anglers should stick to fresh bunker or herring chunks on fishfinder rigs through slack tide—those using cut mackerel or squid are picking up more blues than bass.

Hot spots today? Hit the Herring Run early for topwater mayhem, then work your way west toward the Railroad Bridge for deeper water stripers on soft plastics. If the crowds get heavy, the little pullouts behind the old DCR lot usually put up a surprise albie or big blue just on the breaking tide.

Buzzards Bay Bait Shop confirmed steady reports coming in since Friday, with sales spiking for white shads, back-bay mackerel chunks, and topwater pencils[3]. Local captains and sharps have been two-for-three on legal keeper stripers each outing, some days better than others but always fish to be found if you’re moving with the tide.

Tide, bait, and fish are all here—you just have to give them what they want and time it right. Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to subscribe for tomorrow’s update and daily tips from the canal.

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