Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

White Rocks

42.43°N · 70.95°W · Bar · Boston Harbor

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Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass

80/100Great
Now
749 AM EDT
Best window
12-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score74Great
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SW
Wind1 kn Sgusts 5 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 7 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% cloud
Water66°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

White Rocks

Depth
10-25 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
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 White Rocks

White Rocks is a bar in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. Depth is 10-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Pines Point of

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Striped bass 77
    • Bluefish 72

    1 kt SL 10:16 AM · 1.8 ftH 4:30 PM · 8.9 ft

  • Lobster Rocks

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    74
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Little tunny 72
    • Bluefish 71

    1 kt SL 10:16 AM · 1.8 ftH 4:30 PM · 8.9 ft

  • Black Rock Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Striped bass 73
    • Bluefish 69

    1 kt SL 10:16 AM · 1.8 ftH 4:30 PM · 8.9 ft

  • Black Rock Channel

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    72
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 72
    • Striped bass 72
    • Little tunny 66

    1 kt SL 10:16 AM · 1.8 ftH 4:30 PM · 8.9 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.