Artificial Lure here, bringing you your Cape Cod Canal fishing report for Sunday, August 31, 2025. Right now, sunrise hit at 6:07AM sharp and sunset’s coming at 7:16PM, so you’ve got good daylight to work the banks and the rocks before dark. Canal tides today favor the early bird: high tide rolled through at 5:14AM (about 5.3 feet), with low coming at 11:19AM (1.5 feet). The evening high tide builds around 5:28PM, just shy of six feet according to Tide-Forecast.com. Lower tidal coefficients mean canal currents are moderate—not ripping but still enough flow to see striper tails up on the edges.

Weather’s classic late August: clear skies, a light northwesterly breeze, and temps starting in the mid-60s at dawn but climbing into the high 70s by midafternoon. Humidity’s decently low, so you’ll stay comfortable, unless you get too close to the bunker schools—then it's all about the splash zone. Water temps are hovering around 70°F near the midchannel stretch, and that’s prime for both bait and bigger predators.

Fish activity in the past couple days has really heated up, thanks to the aftermath of Hurricane Erin passing through last week. Eastman’s Sport & Tackle out of Falmouth is reporting a fall push on the south side, with striped bass, bluefish, and even some early false albacore and bonito hammering clouds of peanut bunker and silverside bait. Canal regulars have put both keeper-size bass and wide-shouldered blues on the decks since Thursday, especially around mid-tide turns. There’s been a solid mix—schoolies in the 22–28" range are thick, but a few 35" cows came from under the Bourne Bridge and the utility pole stretch. Bluefish—mostly 2–5-pounders—are blitzing topwater mid-morning, shredding anything that moves.

Best lures right now? Every local knows August means time to break out the oversized soft plastics, like white or bone-colored Savage Gear Sandeel rigs in the 9–12” range. Fish these with a slow retrieve on the swing or dead drift to mimic the canal smelt. For surface blowups, nothing beats a spook or pencil popper in mackerel or blue chrome finishes, especially during the dawn bite. Metal lips have produced over the last two days near the east end—try a blackback swimmer just after first light. If you’re fishing bait, fresh chunk mackerel or live eels after sunset are a sure bet near the deeper rock cuts.

Hot spots this week? The poles between Scusset and the East End are loaded on the last couple hours of incoming tide, with fish stacking up and waiting for the moonrise. The Bourne Bridge pilings at slack and the edges near the Herring Run are holding bass on the outgoing. Late afternoon action is picking up at the railroad bridge with blues pushing bait right onto the rocks—if you’re there during the moonset, expect a few bonus albies.

A word to the wise: work the morning major lunar window between 7:46 and 9:46AM for best results, especially with plastics or swimmer plugs. Evenings from 8:09–10:09PM see heavier movement and some of the bigger fish sliding in from deeper water.

Remember, locals are reporting solid results but always check your catch limit and any updated 2025 regulations before heading out. Bring extra gear and stay safe near the banks—those rocks get slick at low tide.

Thanks for tuning in! Be sure to subscribe for daily updates, and tight lines out there. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

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