Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Cape · Massachusetts

Upper Neck

42.26°N · 70.93°W · Cape · Boston Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic cod

85/100Epic
Now
641 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score66Great
Tide6.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward W
Wind7 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% 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 · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic cod season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic cod · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic cod in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Upper Neck

Depth
3-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Upper Neck

Upper Neck is a cape in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Depth in the nearest water is 3-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, bluefish and striped bass, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through September. Bluefish 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.
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.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Upper Neck Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Little tunny 69
    • Black sea bass 68

    7 kt NNWH 5:18 PM · 9.0 ftL 11:51 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Weymouth Back River

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Little tunny 71
    • Bluefish 69

    7 kt NNWH 5:18 PM · 9.0 ftL 11:51 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Stodders Neck

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Scup 70
    • Black sea bass 69

    7 kt NNWH 5:15 PM · 9.3 ftL 11:43 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Lower Neck

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Scup 70
    • Black sea bass 68

    7 kt NNWH 5:18 PM · 9.0 ftL 11:51 PM · 1.6 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.