Waterlands

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Summer flounderShoulder 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 · Summer flounder

56/100Good
Now
284 PM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score28Fair
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind23 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough6.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy57% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Summer flounder is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with MassDMF before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Summer flounder is best here

Shoulder season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at shoulder

Summer flounder season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Summer flounder in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Race Point Channel

Depth
180-190 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Outer · ExposedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSummer flounder

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 bluefin tuna and Atlantic cod. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic cod and striped bass, and shoulder season for summer flounder, tautog and mahi-mahi. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from July through October. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
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 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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hatches Harbor

    Bay · 4.3 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35
    • Striped bass 35

    25 kt NEH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ftL 4:08 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Herring Cove

    Bay · 5.5 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35
    • Striped bass 35

    25 kt NEH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ftL 4:08 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Peaked Hill Bar

    Bar · 5.5 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 35
    • Haddock 35
    • Black sea bass 30

    25 kt NEH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ftL 4:08 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Shank Painter Bar

    Bar · 6.1 mi

    35
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 35
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Bluefish 35

    25 kt NEH 9:52 PM · 9.5 ftL 4:08 AM · 0.7 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.