can anyone give me any advice on where to fish on the canal and what to use. Also can anyone tell me if i can fish there in may. I have never fished the canal before and would love to try it. Also can you use a 12ft surf rod there?
S/S your question is one that can be easily answered in about 7 hours of typing................................... I'll tell you what, I'll start a new sticky thread when I get a chance, and ask some of the Cape guy's to add to it. You have until the beginning of May to use that 12 footer, so yes to both of those questions.
I've always reasoned about the canal: I can drive right down the street and get skunked / nothing just like I always do at the canal. Why blow the fuel? IF you DO decide to go to the canal, people say the south west end produces early in the season. The canal is an animal in a separate class than any other type of striper fishing. I hear mack heads work on a slack tide on the bottom. I catch schoolies with top water lures around any light post. Get yourself a squid jig or two cuz sometimes squid come thru. . . .you might wana catch some: for bait.
I've always reasoned about the canal: I can drive right down the street and get skunked / nothing just like I always do at the canal. Why blow the fuel?
Here is my experiences and memories of the canal.I fished it back in the day mid to late seventies with my friend Kenny.The best time we had was during the squid run,at the time early June ,late May.We fished and located fish between the bridges and to the old ice skateing rink.The light poles were marked and we used them as references before the handheld GPS days.canal special pencil poppers ,oversized generally brown to simulate squid with a flat bottom and bucktail.We would actually sight cast to rising fish.Other lures were "barracudas" oversized bucktails and lead heads with eels skins.Tackle was usually a lamiglass hatteras heaver 5M 10' with a squidder and 50 lbs test ande.It was mano e mano fishing with reels locked down and thumbed.As Nyers' we were viewed as interloppers but gained respect with our ability.I learned a lot about bass and appreciated the chance to fish beside some legends.We left the canal and were seduced by the Cape and its beaches Chattam,P town and so on. we also spent a lot ogf time in RI it was real good to me having caught a lot of genuinely big fish from its beaches.
Here's the deal with Rhodie,
there are no rat's showing up yet, not a single fish in the 12 to 15 inch range, not one. so I will be wasting a lot of time fishing starting next weekend searching unproductive water hoping for a tug. Then I will really be wasting my time when the larger fish start to not chase the billions of squid that don't swarm the bay around mid to late april and really don't start getting hot and heavy around the beginning of May. Especially a huge waste of time when the new moon phase starts.
Most of the guys I've seen who are successful at the Canal jig the bottom,using conventional gear.It's always looked like a lot of work to me.But it seems to be the most effective tactic there.
Bring extra gear, very sharp rocks and strong current. I've caught a 41" and a 39" within 3hrs there in front of the bourne senic campground towards the rest area end. Not this early though i think it was the end of may. used Cut chunk bait hearring at that time. Caught both on the tail half of the fish. Good luck:a_goodjob: I fished from shore and it's rough on gear.
I fished the Canal today. Completely quiet and didn't see any birds working. I wanted to limber up my equipment and me. Things should pick up any day and I hope to be there when it does. I did hear that it was loaded with squid If I saw any activety I would have plugged but I didn't so I just went deep with a crippled herring and buck tails. Not a good idea this early:ANI_army:
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