UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 526 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High3.3 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sunset Island 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
26Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 69°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: MassDMF · synced today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Sunset Island
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Sunset Island
Sunset Island is a cape in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and striped bass. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, striped bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Scup peak from June through 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.
- 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
- Shell Point67
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 67
- Little tunny 66
- Bluefish 64
10 kt NEL 1:09 AM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 AM · 3.3 ft
- Shell Point Bay66
Bay · 0.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Bluefish 64
- Striped bass 64
10 kt NEL 1:09 AM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 AM · 3.3 ft
- Sunset Cove66
Bay · 0.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Bluefish 64
- Striped bass 64
10 kt NEL 1:09 AM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 AM · 3.3 ft
- East River66
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Striped bass 65
- Bluefish 59
10 kt NEL 1:09 AM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 AM · 3.3 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.
