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Summer flounderShoulder seasonChannel · Massachusetts
Race Point Channel
42.13°N · 70.23°W · Channel · Coastal waters east of Ipswich Bay and the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Summer flounder
- 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
Notify me when Race Point Channel 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
49Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
14Wind over the limit · capped at 30Wind: 23 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
37Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 62°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.4 ftSeason & habitat · Summer flounder
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: MassDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Summer flounder is best here
Shoulder season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
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 Harbor35
Bay · 4.3 mi
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 Cove35
Bay · 5.5 mi
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 Bar35
Bar · 5.5 mi
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 Bar35
Bar · 6.1 mi
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.
