Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Atlantic codPeak season

Bay · Massachusetts

Kings Cove

42.24°N · 70.96°W · Bay · Boston Harbor

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic cod

76/100Great
Now
521 PM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Ebbing2.6 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Kings Cove scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score67Great
Tide7.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward ENE
Wind8 kn WSWgusts 15 · steady
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherClear5% cloud
Water61°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic cod is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with MassDMF before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic cod is best here

Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic cod season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic cod in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Kings Cove

Depth
3-45 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic cod

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Kings Cove

Kings Cove is a bay in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Depth is 3-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and black sea bass. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, black sea bass and scup, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Bluefish peak from June through July and in September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic cod
Cod hold near coarse, rocky bottom on ledges, banks and wrecks, commonly from 80 to 300 feet in the Gulf of Maine. Drift over the structure with a diamond or cod jig and a teaser fly above it, keeping the jig within a few feet of bottom, or fish clams on a high-low rig. Check the stock area and season before keeping one, because most of the year cod must be released.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hunt Hill Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Striped bass 58
    • Bluefish 56

    10 kt NEL 1:51 PM · 2.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 9.0 ft

  • Ferry Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    58
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 58
    • Striped bass 57
    • Bluefish 56

    10 kt NEL 1:51 PM · 2.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 9.0 ft

  • Pine Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    58
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 58
    • Striped bass 57
    • Bluefish 56

    10 kt NEL 1:51 PM · 2.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 9.0 ft

  • Town River Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    56
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 56
    • Little tunny 55
    • Striped bass 54

    10 kt NEL 1:51 PM · 2.3 ftH 8:12 PM · 9.0 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with MassDMF before you keep a fish.