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Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 601 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 3 kt EPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
43Water temp: 64°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
89Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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 · 6 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 20-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 20-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, Atlantic cod and haddock. It is peak season now for scup, Atlantic cod, haddock and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder and tautog. Scup peak from June through September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Haddock peak from May 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.
- 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.
- Haddock
- Haddock feed on gravel, sand and clay bottom along the edges of banks and ledges, mostly in 120 to 400 feet. They have small, soft mouths, so fish clam or squid on small hooks on a high-low rig, or a light jig with teasers, right on the bottom. Set the hook gently and keep steady pressure on the way up.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Middle Ledge75
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 75
- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 69
6 kt NNWH 3:14 PM · 3.0 ftL 8:59 PM · 1.1 ft
- Whale Rock75
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 75
- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 68
6 kt NNWH 3:14 PM · 3.0 ftL 8:59 PM · 1.1 ft
- Pease Ledge75
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 75
- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 68
6 kt NNWH 3:14 PM · 3.0 ftL 8:59 PM · 1.1 ft
- Cuttyhunk Pond71
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 71
- Little tunny 66
- Bluefish 65
6 kt NNWH 3:14 PM · 3.0 ftL 8:59 PM · 1.1 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.