UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 6512 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-7 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding3.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Bow Bells 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
Tuesday, Sep 29 · 3 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt SSWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
50Water temp: 65°F, hotLight: Bright sunSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
87Season: 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
The Bow Bells
- Depth
- 25-30 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 The Bow Bells
The Bow Bells is a bar in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 25-30 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and Atlantic cod. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, Atlantic cod and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder and tautog. Scup peak from June through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October.
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
- Peases Point68
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Scup 67
- Striped bass 65
6 kt NNWH 2:05 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:04 PM · 1.2 ft
- Point Connett68
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Scup 67
- Striped bass 65
6 kt NNWH 2:05 PM · 3.4 ftL 8:04 PM · 1.2 ft
- Bird Island South Shoal67
Bar · 1.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Little tunny 66
- Atlantic cod 65
6 kt NNWH 2:05 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:20 PM · 1.2 ft
- Centerboard Shoal67
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Little tunny 66
- Atlantic cod 65
6 kt NNWH 2:05 PM · 3.8 ftL 7:20 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.