Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bay · Massachusetts

Quincy Bay

42.29°N · 70.97°W · Bay · Boston Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Scup

76/100Great
Now
6112 PM EDT
Best window
5-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score61Good
Tide3.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward NNE
Wind10 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy52% cloud
Water64°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Black sea bass in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Quincy Bay

Depth
15-20 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBlack sea bass

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 Quincy Bay

Quincy Bay is a bay in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Sunken Ledge

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Atlantic cod 66
    • Bluefish 64

    10 kt NEL 1:53 PM · 2.3 ftH 8:13 PM · 8.9 ft

  • Houghs Neck

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Striped bass 68
    • Bluefish 63

    10 kt NEL 1:53 PM · 2.3 ftH 8:13 PM · 8.9 ft

  • Quarantine Rocks

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Atlantic cod 66
    • Bluefish 64

    10 kt NEL 1:53 PM · 2.4 ftH 8:09 PM · 9.0 ft

  • Sculpin Ledge Channel

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    64
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Striped bass 61
    • Atlantic cod 55

    10 kt NEL 1:53 PM · 2.4 ftH 8:09 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.