Waterlands

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HaddockPeak season

Cape · Massachusetts

Shell Point

41.74°N · 70.66°W · Cape · Buzzards Bay

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Best score today · 7 PM · Haddock

82/100Great
Now
5210 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 23 · 11 PM

Time11P
Score49Good
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb2.7 kn · toward SSW
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 24
Sea stateLight chop1.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy64% cloud
Water68°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Haddock 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 Haddock is best here

Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak

Haddock season by week of the year. Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Haddock in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Shell Point

Depth
2-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonHaddock

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 Shell Point

Shell Point is a cape in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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

  • Shell Point Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 61

    7 kt NNEH 3:28 PM · 3.1 ftL 10:52 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Sunset Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 61

    7 kt NNEH 3:28 PM · 3.1 ftL 10:52 PM · 1.2 ft

  • East River

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Little tunny 60

    7 kt NNEH 3:28 PM · 3.1 ftL 10:52 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Sunset Island

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 62
    • Bluefish 59

    7 kt NNEH 3:28 PM · 3.1 ftL 10:52 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.