UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 AM · Scup
- Now
- 715 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding5.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buoy Rocks 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt SWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 61°F, coolLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
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
Buoy Rocks
- Depth
- 6-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Buoy Rocks
Buoy Rocks is a bar in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, Atlantic cod and scup. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Atlantic cod, scup and bluefish, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Scup peak from June through September.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Jeremy Point72
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 72
- Little tunny 69
- Bluefish 68
14 kt NNEH 8:22 PM · 9.5 ftL 3:04 AM · 1.6 ft
- Wellfleet Harbor71
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 71
- Black sea bass 70
- Scup 68
14 kt NNEH 8:22 PM · 9.5 ftL 3:04 AM · 1.6 ft
- Smalley Bar68
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 68
- Little tunny 66
- Atlantic cod 65
14 kt NNEH 8:22 PM · 9.5 ftL 3:04 AM · 1.6 ft
- Old Saw68
Bar · 1.7 mi
Top: BluefishPeak season- Bluefish 68
- Little tunny 66
- Atlantic cod 65
14 kt NNEH 8:22 PM · 9.5 ftL 3:04 AM · 1.6 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.