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Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 2 AM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 543 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hen Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Thursday, Sep 24 · 11 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
31Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: Falling fastWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
54Water temp: 66°F, hotLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
69Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: MassDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic cod is best here
Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Hen Cove
- Depth
- 5-9 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Hen Cove
Hen Cove is a bay in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 5-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, bluefish and striped bass, and shoulder season for summer flounder and tautog. Scup peak from June through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Red Brook Harbor67
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Black sea bass 66
- Little tunny 66
10 kt NNEH 5:03 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:39 PM · 0.9 ft
- Pocasset Harbor67
Gut · 1.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Black sea bass 66
- Little tunny 66
10 kt NNEH 5:03 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:39 PM · 0.9 ft
- Handy Point65
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Striped bass 62
- Bluefish 60
11 kt NNEH 5:03 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:39 PM · 0.9 ft
- Bennets Neck63
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 63
- Little tunny 63
- Striped bass 60
11 kt NNEH 5:03 PM · 3.5 ftL 11:39 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.