[STEVE IN MASS]

From the FAQ page of the tide charts from MaineHarbors that John has linked here:

The following info is given in our Current Tables:

Slack - The state of a tidal current when its speed is near zero, especially the moment when a reversing current changes direction and its speed is zero.

Flood - The movement of a tidal current toward the shore or up a tidal river or estuary. Flood can also apply to any flood current at the time of greatest speed.

Ebb - The movement of a tidal current away from shore or down a tidal river or estuary. Ebb can also apply to any ebb current at the time of the greatest speed.

The Direction toward which the current at maximum Flood or Ebb is flowing is given in degrees at the top of the chart. For the Cape Cod Canal, the Flood is generally eastward, Ebb westward.

The Speed of the current at maximum Flood or Ebb is given in knots.


The BOLD is applicable to the Cape Cod Canal, i.e. the times listed for Flood and Ebb are the times when the currents are at their greatest speed, and in the next column, that speed is given in knots.

In addition: "For the Cape Cod Canal, the Flood is generally eastward, Ebb westward." Notice the emphasis on the word "generally, because while it is generally correct, it is not absolutely correct.

Looking at the Corps of Engineers Charts for today, May 28th for the East End (where the time differences are the greatest, as Mike stated):

Low Water was at 12:29 AM
Slack turning west is at ~4:39 AM
High Water is 6:38 AM
Slack to turning east is at ~10:47 AM
Low Water is 12:58 PM

So, this means that until 4:39 this morning, the current was running east, and the water was rising (flooding). At ~4:39, the current turned west, but the water was STILL rising (flooding) for about two hours until 6:38AM.

At 6:38 AM, the current is running west, and the water starts to drop (ebb).

At ~10:47 AM, the current turns east, and the water is still dropping. It continues to drop for about another two hours until 12:58 this afternoon, at which time it starts to rise again, with the current still running east.

So, as you can see, the water can be falling or rising on an east current, and falling or rising on a west current. It is "generally" thought that flood is on the eastward, only because out of the 6+ hour cycle, most of the flood (about 4 hours worth) is during the east current.

Now, looking at the MaineHarbor current charts for today, May 28th:

"Flood" was 1:28 AM
"Ebb" was at 7:42 AM
Flood" again at 2:04 PM

You'll notice that the "Flood" and "Ebb" times (remember, in the case of the canal, these terms refer to when the current is moving the fastest) are about an hour or so after the time of high and low water, respectively, and at about midway between the times of slack.

As Mike mentioned, the further west you head in the canal, the less of a time lag you have between these times.

All that being said, I have to disagree a bit with the folks that say high or low water isn't much of a factor when fishing the canal.

While the current speed and direction, and the times of slack play probably the biggest role, high and low water are also big factors, pertaining to HOW you fish various spots (and how much lead you are gonna lose if you don't factor it in!)

There are certain spots that I won't fish at high water, because they become snag city, but are excellent spots at low water. And there are spots that you allow your jig to drift longer or shoter, depending on the height of the tide.

Some spots at high water, you may get only 4 or 5 good "pumps" to the jig before you have to start reeling like hell to not become snagged. But at low water at the same spots, you can get 8-10-12 "pumps" in and not get hung up. And vice versa.

So I'd have to argue that the height of the water IS an important factor.....but more so on the technique end of things.