Ryan Collins
Early May is one of the most exciting times of the season for people who love fishing at the Cape Cod Canal.
After a long offseason, ocean temps are on the rise, and striped bass will soon start to trickle back into the area.
The month of May provides canal diehards with an opportunity to catch their first fish of the season. Typically the target species is striped bass, but there are other species too, including mackerel and tautog.
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As a kid I had the unique opportunity of growing up one mile from the canal. Each morning during the spring, as my school bus crossed over the Sagamore Bridge, I would scan the surface of the canal for the first swirls, breaks and diving birds of the season.
Without a doubt, early May is a time full of anticipation and eagerness for the season ahead. If you are reading this post, then you probably understand what I mean!
In fact over the past week, there have been tens of thousands of herring infiltrating the canal herring run at Bournedale, as you can see in the video below which was sent to me this past Thursday from MFCC member Nick Caparell.
Did you notice the seal towards the end of the above video?
Believe it or not, seals are a common occurrence in the canal, especially when the herring are running strong. As seen in the video, sometimes these seals even go into the actual herring run!
In the remainder of this article I will share with you some stories, lessons learned, and advice plucked from my lifetime experience living nearby the now famous Cape Cod Canal.
Specifically, we will discuss bait, the striper migration, and fishing tactics that work during early May in the “Big Ditch.”
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Good videos.
I’m glad you enjoyed the videos George. LMK if I can help with anything fishing related, and good luck in 2021! ?
I was down the herring run yesterday loaded with herring and one seal that was getting fat ,the bass will be here shortly
Really nice blog Ryan. Loaded with information. Nicely done. I especially like the picture of the canal rat in the light blue long sleeve shirt. ?
That was a beautiful fish Mark! LOL
Thanks for reading. The fish will be here soon ??
Nice blog Ryan! It’s a great summary of Canal fishing! Thanks
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Does a late start mean they will stick around longer? I know nothing is guaranteed, just wondering what you think?
Not necessarily Rick. It will depend on how things go during the fall. A very cold and stormy fall (especially if we got a hurricane etc.) could knock the fish out of the area earlier than expected.
Hopefully the schoolies will arrive on Cape soon. Any day now I would think! ??
Ha you savage with the video compilation work. Good stuff. That was my first time really inspecting the herring run during its’ prime. I was blown away by the seals aggressive/carefree approach coming right up to the herring exits/entrances. The herring numbers looked pretty solid though, hopefully their numbers keep growing. Hoping for my first striper very soon ! #tightlineseveryone
Wait until you see stripers packed in where the herring are. Check out this epic video from MFCC member Hayden Gallagher, filmed a couple years ago right where you saw the seals.