Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Channel · Massachusetts

Race Point Channel

42.13°N · 70.23°W · Channel · Coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

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Best score today · 6 AM · Black sea bass

56/100Good
Now
4811 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing7.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score48Good
Tide7.6 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward N
Wind23 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough5.8 ft · 5 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy37% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Black sea bass in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Race Point Channel

Depth
180-190 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · 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 Race Point Channel

Race Point Channel is a channel in Coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Massachusetts. Depth is 180-190 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, Atlantic cod and haddock. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Atlantic cod, haddock and Atlantic bluefin tuna, and shoulder season for tautog, summer flounder and mahi-mahi. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Haddock peak from May 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Shank Painter Bar

    Bar · 6.1 mi

    53
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 53
    • Black sea bass 50
    • Haddock 50

    23 kt NEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ft

  • Hatches Harbor

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    49
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 49
    • Striped bass 44
    • Bluefish 42

    23 kt NEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ft

  • Peaked Hill Bar

    Bar · 5.5 mi

    47
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 47
    • Haddock 45
    • Bluefish 44

    23 kt NEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ft

  • Herring Cove

    Bay · 5.5 mi

    43
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 43
    • Black sea bass 43
    • Haddock 43

    23 kt NEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:52 PM · 9.5 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.