Question for Ditch regulars.

[Big Vern]

Well, I've basically parlayed my fiance's business trip and my wealth of unused vacation time into a full week of fishing the Cape as hard as I possibly can without any interruptions/distractions. Now, I've got my usual haunts, but I'm going to try the ditch for the first time this coming week, and I'm not asking for pole #'s, your favorite rock, or the true secrets, but I was wondering what the good tides are to. It looks like the morning tides are best is this the high, the rise, or the drop? I'm trying to draw up the week, and I just wanted to know a couple times when I have a decent chance at the ditch. Or better yet, anyone want to fish with me some morning?

[JPowers]

Godfather: By " this coming week", I'm assuming you mean the 9th - 14th. Right?

New moon on the 7th. Smokin' fast currents. Low tide will be unusually low.

Currents turning East pre dawn & early am later in the week. Expecting acres of breakin' fish.

Bait ( peanut bunker) all over the place.

Best bet: Breakin' fish on the surface in the am West of the Sagamore Bridge for about 1/2 mile.

About an hour after the East turn - The East end. Either side.

Bring the heavy eqiupment.


At the East end, i'm the guy in the blue shirt. Drop by.

[Canalratt1]

This weekend looks very good! Start in the pre dawn hours anywhere between the bridges either side. In the dark rubber shads, swimmers, sluggos, and jigs. When it gets light wait for all hell to break loose. Poppers and tins for twinkies or go deeper for large (hopefully). Head East if no fish show or the schools move.

[Saltheart]

You need to be ready to jig when the current is running strong. near and at slack you can fish normal like on a beach. best fishing IMO is when its booking and you go deep. use 3 to 5 OZ jigs with large curltails (8") fin-S ish (i like 7 inch) big sluggos like GS megajerks , pork strips , long ones. I like to backbounce ball jigs and drift smilin Bill fully tied bucktails. Add a big tail to the bucktails. I'd hang at the east end whn its running towards the west.

[Big Vern]

Which way does it run? West on the flood and east on the drop?

[jettyjockey18]

other way around...

[STEVE IN MASS]

JJ - I beg to differ......the current in the canal changes four times a day.

This morning for example, high tide in Buzzards Bay was about 7 AM. High tide in Cape Cod Bay was about 10 AM. There was an east current until about 9, and then it switched to a west current, and the water level in the canal itself was rising at about 8 AM.......which it would continue to do until about noon or 1 PM, and then start dropping.....

At about 3 pm, the current will switch to east, the water level in the canal will drop until about 7 or 8, and then begin to rise again before the next current switch to west at about 9:30 tonight.....

I was there, I saw it.............

You gotta remember that the tide height difference in Buzzards Bay is only 4-6 feet, where as in Cape Cod Bay, it is 7-12 feet.......

Which screws the canal "tides" up royally.....

[jettyjockey18]

perhaps some clarification steve...

upon further review, the canal currents don't strictly flow east on the flood tide and west on the drop...mix of both...

this mornings tides (9/5) at the east end:

slack tides
2:09 am turning east
8:42 am turning west
2:34 pm turning east
8:43 pm turning west

low tides
4:09 am
4:24 pm

high tides
10:26 am
10:38 pm

so, the tide was dropping on the west until slack at 2:09 am then continued to drop for another 2 hours on the east until the 4:09 am low, then the tide started to flood on the east through the west turn at 8:42 am and continued to flood for 90 minutes or so until high tide at 10:26 am. i don't know why people don't understand this, makes perfect sense to me...

[STEVE IN MASS]

Um, yeah, me too, I think.....

Though if I stare at the charts long enough, I get it, for one day at least......


It'll drive ya nuts........