Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

Great Ledge

41.54°N · 70.90°W · Bar · Buzzards Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic cod

77/100Great
Now
663 PM EDT
Best window
5-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Sep 27 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score74Great
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward ENE
Wind9 kn NNEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.4 ft · 5 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast47% chance of rain
Water65°FModel

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

Great Ledge

Depth
15-40 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Great Ledge

Great Ledge is a bar in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 15-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • Dumpling Rocks

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    66
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 66
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Scup 66

    9 kt NEH 5:13 PM · 3.0 ftL 11:33 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Ragged Rocks

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    66
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Scup 66
    • Atlantic cod 65

    9 kt NEH 5:13 PM · 3.0 ftL 11:33 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Wampanoag Ledge

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    65
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 65
    • Scup 65
    • Atlantic cod 64

    10 kt NNEH 5:13 PM · 3.0 ftL 11:33 PM · 0.9 ft

  • The Sandspit

    Bar · 1.0 mi

    63
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 63
    • Haddock 61
    • Bluefish 60

    9 kt NEH 5:13 PM · 3.0 ftL 11:33 PM · 0.9 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.