Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

Point May

41.62°N · 70.82°W · Bar · Buzzards Bay

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Best score today · 5 PM · Black sea bass

77/100Great
Now
608 AM EDT
Best window
4-7 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score60Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn NWgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy70% cloud
Water71°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

Point May

Depth
4-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
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 Point May

Point May is a bar in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Puppy Rocks

    Bar · 1.1 mi

    73
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 73
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Bluefish 66

    6 kt NWH 2:05 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:04 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Seal Island Rocks

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Bluefish 65

    6 kt NWH 2:05 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:04 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Brant Island Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Striped bass 68
    • Little tunny 65

    6 kt NWH 2:05 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:04 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Nasketucket Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Striped bass 68
    • Little tunny 65

    6 kt NWH 2:05 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:04 PM · 1.2 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.