Fluke Fishing in the Cape Cod Canal

Tackle for Fluke Fishing
the Cape Cod Canal

When fluke fishing from the shoreline of the canal, most pre-tied fluke rigs you can purchase in any tackle shop will suffice.

The key to many successful landings is using off-set fluke hooks, which provide a proper hook-set on those soft flatfish mouths.

If you’re fishing with a fluke rig and find that you’re consistently missing on short takes, try using smaller flounder hooks.

Using the proper size weight is vital to fluke fishing success in the canal.

Depending on the stage of the tide and the current, 2, 3, 4 and even 5-ounce sinkers, used in conjunction with a sliding “fishfinder” rig, allow the bait to get down deep along the bottom.

Hitting bottom in the strong currents of the canal is essential.

I’ve always been a loyal proponent of using braided line when fishing in the Big Ditch, and fluke fishing is no exception.

Braided line allows you to use thinner diameters, which cause less drag in the current, thus helping to get your bait straight to the bottom.

The sensitivity of braid is unmatched. When used in conjunction with a light to medium saltwater bait-casting or spinning outfit, you can feel any subtle takes that fluke are known for.

By adding a mono leader, you’ll have the added stealth and stretch needed to keep from ripping the hook from the fluke's soft mouth tissue during battle.

Best Baits For Fluke Fishing In The Canal

As with most other fishing applications, fresh bait is always better than frozen. For fluke, a variety of natural baits will work well, including:

White colored pork rind or thinly cut strips of herring, pogy, or even fluke bellies themselves (thin strips cut from the white underside of a fluke) will also work.

For the best chance at success try to match the natural forage of the area you are fishing.

The Recommended Technique for Fluke Fishing at the Cape Cod Canal

The bait-fishing technique for fluke in the canal involves casting and drift/bouncing the bait along the bottom with the current, swinging it into holes, over sand bars and around soft structure.

For every solid bump you feel, set the hook. As the rig approaches the end of the drift, be sure to begin a fast retrieve to keep it from hanging up in the rocks at the channel’s edge.

The most active time for catching fluke in the canal is usually 1 to 2 hours on either side of slack tide. 

This is mainly dependent on your ability to hold bottom and adjust your location adjacent to where groups of fish may hold position as the tide and current change.

Sometimes you'll even land a few schoolie stripers in the process!

If the tide is at or near slack, no more than 2-ounces of weight is really necessary at most fluke spots. As the current picks up, increase the size of the weight accordingly. If you are not bouncing along the bottom, then you are not catching fish.

Best Canal Fluke Fishing Spots

Once you get that first hit, take note of the exact position where the bite occurred relative to the drift. I cannot overstate how important this is. 

Once fluke are located, chances are that will be the exact spot where you’ll receive multiple takes, providing you can drift your bait over it consistently.

In the Cape Cod Canal, fluke will often be found holding on sand bars in areas with a very slow current, or in eddies adjacent to swifter moving currents.

Some of the best locations to find fluke begin with some of the most well-known and easily accessible areas.

Pictured below is a good place to start when targeting fluke in the Big Ditch. The sandy bottom in this area is ideal for bottom bouncing with bait. 

While you are in this area, don’t forget to try the opposite sides as well. The calmer slack waters here can also produce fluke.

Another nearby fluke fishing spot that can be productive includes:

The area shown below is also a prime fluke fishing location.

If you are standing on the east side of the above photographed spot, then a west flowing tide is best.

You can stand on the corner and cast out into the canal channel and let the bait swing with current into the slack water at the channel's entrance where it’ll drop to the bottom. Keep a wary eye on the boat traffic, which will be entering and exiting over your line(s).

Moving a little west, the two areas below are also good places to try.

The current here is slower than in the main channel so it’s easier to reach bottom.

Moving further west, the sandbar at the below spot on the Cape side has always been one of my favorite fluke fishing hotspots.

The key here is casting up current and getting the drift exactly right so that the bait bounces in a very specific line onto the sandbar in front of the big drain pipe.

On the far west end of the canal, on the Cape Cod side, prime fluke fishing locations include “Bourne Public Landing” and the spot photographed below.

Although the fluke will vary in size, you always stand a decent chance at landing a keeper doormat in these two spots. Here, a high, west-flowing tide is best.

Hint, the natural forage that thrives here are chubs (mummichogs, killfish, etc).

Also worth mentioning is the area located directly across the channel on the mainland side, which always has plenty of room to choose from.

Depending on the stage of the tide, you can fish the small sandy beach area where you first enter the parking lot, or you can try the deep, swirling hole adjacent to the tug boat pier.

In Conclusion

If you put in your time to sufficiently learn how a given fluke location reacts with the changing tide and current, you can catch fluke during all hours of the day at the Cape Cod Canal.

If you like to explore and seek out your own flat-fishing hotspots it can be worth the effort. 

During low tide, look for areas with smooth bottom contours along sandy points or submerged humps. There are a myriad of sand bars, points and eddies to be explored along the entire stretch of the canal that can hold fluke during the height of summer.

With a little time, effort and exploration, you can literally flatfish your way through the dog days of summer in the Big Ditch.