The town of Sandwich has a lot to offer fishermen.
Fishing in Sandwich, MA usually begins with talk of the Cape Cod Canal, but can quickly shift to Cape Cod Bay, its beaches, estuaries and the town's many other saltwater fishing options. Sandwich is a great place to be if you want to experience many different fishing opportunities.
I can recall with great clarity afternoons spent fishing Sandwich's beaches for schoolie striped bass. Back in the late 1990's the beaches of Sandwich, and its estuaries, were inundated with young stripers.
During those years it was not unusual to catch 50 schoolies in just a few hours. For me as a 14 year old this was pure fishing Heaven.
Recently the schoolie striper fishing has not been quite as epic. However, Sandwich still produces plenty striped bass of all shapes and sizes, as well as flounder, fluke and some other species you may not expect.
Fishing in Sandwich
The town of Sandwich is best known for its close proximity to the Cape Cod Canal. Technically speaking, the East End of the Cape Cod Canal to about the Scusset Beach fish pier is within the confines of Sandwich town lines.
The Canal can produce nice stripers, big bluefish and even flounder and fluke. Tautog, sea bass, mackerel and the occasional pollock can also be caught in the Canal.
One of the best spots to target multiple species is from the bulkhead area at the Sandwich Marina. If you have a boat you can launch from Sandwich's public boat ramp and access Cape Cod Bay as well Buzzard's Bay.
Typically I wouldn't recommend planning an entire Sandwich fishing trip around bluefin tuna, however tuna do show up close to shore here on occasion.
It may not happen often but 1,000 pound giant tuna do pass through the waters of Sandwich each season. Most sightings come from small boats targeting bass, or stick boats targeting tuna, during the latter part of the season.
Flounder can be caught in boats along the Sandwich beachfront. Flounder can also be caught from shore around creeks and estuaries. During the middle of the summer you may even catch fluke and sea bass in some of these spots.
I really enjoy fluke fishing from shore because you can dress like a beach bum and still catch fish.
Sandwich Fishing Tips and Strategies
If you want to "go big or go home" you can try live-lining a bluefish for a giant tuna in Cape Cod Bay. Blues always seem tough to come by when you need them for bait, and you may have to do some traveling around to find them, but the extra effort can be worth it.
For a shot at a big bass try trolling a red tube and worm just about anywhere off the Sandwich coast. If the fish are around you will eventually stumble across them.
Growing up I would go days, sometimes 20 hours straight without a bite. Then out of nowhere both rods would double over, lead core peeling from the reels as two 25 pound stripers swam for their lives.
I remember being stunned and amazed at how quickly things can change off Sandwich.
When you do find bass, there is a good chance bluefish will be mixed among them. Dog fish can also be an issue at times, especially when fishing with live bait.
More Info on Fishing Sandwich
If you need more information you can always reach out to us on our Facebook page or by leaving a comment below.
Stay tuned to the Weekly Spot for more information on fishing Sandwich. You can also check out the below posts:
- Targeting Stripers from Shore in Sandwich
- Sandwich's Tidal Pool Stripers
- Slinging Pencil Eels in Sandwich's Estuaries
- The Cape Cod Canal fishing tutorial
In Conclusion
I grew up just down the road from the Sandwich town line. Over the years I have crossed the Sagamore Bridge more than 14,000 times (honest estimate! LOL).
If you need any assistance planning a trip to Sandwich then just drop me a line at [email protected]Â or leave a comment below.
I am happy to help.
Tight lines and take care,
Ryan
Hi Ryan. Looking for a good spot to shore fish for flounder. I’m over at the boardwalk area. Thank u
Hey Mike! Shore fishing for flounder is unfortunately not as productive as it once was. For example, I know people used to catch bucket loads of them in Buttermilk Bay, but that fishery seems to have been wiped out. I would wager a guess that you could catch a few in the canal though, especially towards the dolphins across from Fishermen’s View at the East End or even the entrance to the Sandwich Marina. I would also think the inlet at the Sandwich Boardwalk where it dumps into the bay would be worth a shot, as would the inlet at Scorton.
Bringing my dad for a long weekend tomorrow, staying in Sandwich and would love to do some shore fishing with him. What would you suggest? Thanks so much!
Hey Rebecca, I’m not sure how much experience you have with shore fishing, but I know there have been some quality striped bass caught this past week at Sandy Neck in Barnstable, so that could definitely be worth a shot!
Coming to Sandwich the week of the 19th. Would love to do some fishing (surf, piers, whatever you recommend) with my boys. What’s everyone fishing for this time of August? Love to surf fish. Charters seems a little pricey for me.
Thanks
Dan
Sounds like you have a nice trip planned Dan!
You’ll have a good chance along the Sandwich and Barnstable. My friend caught some schoolies today at Scusset Beach as well. In addition, bluefish, flounder, tautog and fluke are biting on the Cape Cod Bay side right now.
You might also want to try posting in the forum. We have lots of other members in our forum who are happy to add their insight and advice. ?
Good Evening,
I would like to know a good spot at Sandwich where I can fish with my family? Is there an address I could get?
Sincerely,
Franklin R.
Hi Franklin,
Not sure how old the kids are in your family but the posts on this page may also help generate some ideas > https://myfishingcapecod.com/easy-access-fishing-spots/
The Scusset Beach fish pier in particular is a fun place for kids.
Please check out the membership side of our website myfishingcapecod.com or post in the forum if you need more assistance.
Tight lines!
Worth launching my newly purchased center console this sat for ANY kind of fishing? Anxious to get any line wet in the thing but I can’t find a single report on how any kind of fishing this week or how it expects to be this weekend. Should I make the two hour trip or wrap her up?
Hey Chris,
Last year I guy I know caught a 150 pound tuna 4 miles off the East End of the Canal during mid-November. So if you have the gear and if the weather allows you could always give that a shot.
There should be some mackerel off the Canal, as well as some sea herring. You can catch these guys using sabiki rigs in 50-90 feet of water. Keep an eye peeled for gannets which will lead the way to the schools.
It’s real late for bass in Cape Cod Bay, but you could shoot through the Canal and fish Buzzard’s Bay. There were some fish in the Canal this week so you might be able to find some bird action in BBay. Again…it’s a bit of a long shot.
If you are really ambitious you could try for mackerel off the East End, then check out BBay and if all else fails trailer the boat to Barnstable Harbor in search of schoolies and small keepers that might of decided to stick around late in the season.
Hope that helps at least a bit….always tough to call it a season and wrap up the boat,
Ryan
Any hope for tog by chance?
Yes, if you head on over to BBay I think you’d have a good chance at tautog.
Here’s an article form the OTW crew about just that http://www.onthewater.com/tautog-fishing-tips-for-the-fall/
Gluck! and let us know how it goes if you make it out.