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Winter flounderOff seasonBay · Massachusetts
Cape Cod Bay
42.03°N · 70.42°W · Bay · Coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Winter flounder
- Now
- 281 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cape Cod Bay 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 · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
14Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
26Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 62°F, warmLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.9 ftSeason & habitat · Winter flounder
Species seasonality
22Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Winter flounder 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 Winter flounder is best here
Out of season for Winter flounder · it leaves in 10 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Cape Cod Bay
- Depth
- About 170 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Off seasonWinter flounder
NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 10 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 Cape Cod Bay
Cape Cod Bay is a bay in Coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Massachusetts. Depth is about 170 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod and black sea bass. It is peak season now for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod, black sea bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for summer flounder, tautog and mahi-mahi. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from July through October. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September.
Tackle & technique
- Winter flounder
- Winter flounder spend late winter and spring on mud and sand bottom in harbors, coves and tidal channels, often in 5 to 30 feet. Anchor, chum with crushed clams or mussels, and fish small long-shank hooks with worm or clam on the bottom, tapping the rig to stir up mud. The bite is light, so use a sensitive rod.
- Atlantic bluefin tuna
- Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Hatches Harbor50
Bay · 9.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 50
- Striped bass 44
- Bluefish 43
23 kt NEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ft
- High Pine Ledge35
Bar · 9.5 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 35
- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
16 kt NEL 4:05 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:56 PM · 9.7 ft
- Gurnet Point35
Cape · 9.6 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 35
- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
16 kt NEL 4:05 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:56 PM · 9.7 ft
- Mary Ann Rocks35
Bar · 9.6 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 35
- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
16 kt NEL 3:55 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:58 PM · 9.6 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.