West Bay Fishing Spot

• County: Barnstable - Cotuit
• Last Modified By: vinny60 on 09/13/09 05:58 PM
• Ask about West Bay in our Fishing Forums

Osterville and Cotuit today are getaway towns for the summering wealthy. Exquisite Federal homes stand ladylike on gracious lawns, skirted by stone walls and picket-fence petticoats. This is the place to stroll the streets, or kick back aboard your boat and enjoy the peace and quiet. Cotuit and Osterville harbors are pleasant places to stop for a spell if you decide to take the long way to or from the Islands. Both are best approached via the West Bay. As you approach, get ready for a bit of shoal dodging. West Bay is 8.5nm from Waquoit Bay and 5.7nm from Hyannis at the tip of the breakwater. Cotuit Bay and West Bay at Osterville are about 12nm from Woods Hole. Since Cotuit and Osterville are relatively out-of-the-way ports, boaters usually come here for peace and quiet. There are numerous anchorage spots in the area, not the safest of which is the Cotuit Anchorage south of Dead Neck, because it is so exposed. You're better off heading inside. The West Bay entrance channel is deep (average depth about 8 feet mlw) and is marked by privately maintained nuns and cans. The current runs between 1 and 1.5 knots. As soon as you pass through the jetties, you'll see the summer community of Little Island dead ahead. From this point you may choose to bear hard to the west and catch Cotuit Bay through the narrow, well-marked Seapuit River, which has an average depth of about 5 feet at mlw. West Bay is easy to navigate, as the channel is well marked with private aids. There are two possible anchoring spots in this well-sheltered bay, although neither is marked with mooring buoys. Bear west half a mile into the channel, and you'll be in 3 to 4 feet of water at mlw across from the windmill on Little Island. The holding ground is sandy with patches of eel grass. Directly east of here, where the channel forks, is another good spot. Crosby Yacht Yard and Oyster Harbors Marine provide guest moorings in North Bay and Cotuit Bay; launch service is also available. Don't anchor in Eel River-that whole strip of water is private.