The Cape Cod, MA marine forecast covers live wind speed and gusts, tide predictions, wave conditions, and major and minor solunar feeding times, updated continuously from NOAA and Open-Meteo. The strongest fishing windows usually line up with the moving tide and the solunar periods shown below — check current conditions before you head out.
By Steve Wilson, lifelong angler & founder of My Marine Forecast
Last updated: Sep 15, 2026, 8:00 AM
On Tuesday, September 15, Cape Cod, MA sees high tide at 11:48 AM (4.8 ft), low tide at 4:22 AM (0.3 ft) and 5:00 PM (0.6 ft). Winds 5–16 mph from the S gusting to 22 mph. Air temperatures 56–63°F. Current water temperature is about 72°F. The strongest fishing windows line up with the moving water around each tide change, roughly an hour on either side.
Today's Tides · Station 8447386
| Low tide | 4:22 AM | 0.3 ft |
| High tide | 11:48 AM | 4.8 ft |
| Low tide | 5:00 PM | 0.6 ft |
Wind
5–16 mph S
Gusts
22 mph
Air Temp
56–63°F
Water Temp
72°F
Tides from NOAA Station 8447386 · wind & temperature from Open-Meteo. Open the live forecast for hourly charts and the 7-day outlook.
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Tide data sourced from NOAA Station 8447386
Cape Cod's hook shape creates a geographic funnel that concentrates migrating fish in a way that makes it one of the Northeast's most productive fishing destinations. The Cape Cod Canal, Nauset Beach, Race Point at Provincetown, and the flats of Chatham all produce striped bass on a scale that few places on the coast can match. The fishery runs from late April through November.
The Cape Cod Canal is legendary among bass anglers. The current running through the canal concentrates stripers against the walls, and bank fishing along the service road is publicly accessible and remarkably productive. The best fishing is on the moving tide — both flood and ebb produce, with the strongest current creating the best conditions. Bass over 40 pounds are landed in the canal regularly.
The outer Cape beaches from Nauset Light south to Monomoy offer some of the best surf fishing on the East Coast. Stripers and bluefish follow bait schools along the bar edges, and fishing the beach at dawn on a falling tide with a large surface plug is about fishing gets. False albacore and bonito arrive offshore in late Summer and Fall.
Cape weather can change fast, particularly in Fall. Fishing in the wind shadow of the Cape on a northeast blow can be outstanding, but the same blow makes the ocean beaches and the canal rough. Check the forecast and have a backup location ready.
Spring: The first schoolie striped bass reach the south side estuaries in late April, and by mid May the Cape Cod Canal is producing keeper fish on the east tide. Tautog bite on Buzzards Bay rock piles through May. Squid runs in Nantucket Sound draw bass, and the first bluefish arrive around Memorial Day.
Summer: Big striped bass ride mackerel schools through the Canal on breaking tides, while boaters work the Monomoy rips and the backside beaches. Bluefin tuna feed east of Chatham and on Stellwagen Bank, sometimes within sight of land. Fluke and black sea bass fill Nantucket Sound, and bonito show up by August.
Fall: September brings false albacore to the south side jetties and Monomoy, mixed with bonito in some years. Striped bass and bluefish push bait down the backside beaches through October in the classic fall run. Tautog turn on as water cools, and the last bluefin of the year feed hard into November.
Winter: The Cape mostly goes quiet from December through March. Holdover striped bass winter in a few south side estuaries and warm water outflows, giving light tackle anglers a shot on mild days. Some head boats sail for cod when weather allows. Most locals spend the season tying flies and pouring plugs.
The Cape Cod Canal is the most famous land based striper fishery in the country, seven miles of paved service road with current ripping in both directions. Race Point in Provincetown puts beach anglers within casting range of genuinely deep water. Nauset Beach in Orleans covers miles of backside surf for four wheel drive and walk-on casters alike. The Monomoy rips off Chatham are the centerpiece of the boat fishery, and the jetties at Bass River and Sesuit Harbor give quick shore access on Nantucket Sound and Cape Cod Bay.