Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

Cole Ridge

42.53°N · 70.73°W · Bar · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

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Best score today · 3 PM · Atlantic cod

75/100Great
Now
576 AM EDT
Best window
2-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
High7.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score57Good
Tide7.3 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn Ngusts 12 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 5 s
Air temp54°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water63°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic cod 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 Atlantic cod is best here

Peak season for Atlantic cod · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic cod season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic cod · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic cod in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Cole Ridge

Depth
100-120 ftSlope
Structure
Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · slope
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic cod

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 Cole Ridge

Cole Ridge is a bar in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth is 100-120 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and haddock. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, haddock and Atlantic cod, and shoulder season for summer flounder and tautog. Scup peak from June through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Haddock peak from May through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Newcomb Ledge

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    76
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 76
    • Black sea bass 62
    • Atlantic cod 61

    6 kt NL 11:49 AM · 2.2 ftH 6:13 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Kettle Island Ledge

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Black sea bass 62
    • Atlantic cod 61

    6 kt NL 11:50 AM · 2.2 ftH 6:13 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Middle Breakers

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Black sea bass 62
    • Atlantic cod 61

    6 kt NL 11:49 AM · 2.2 ftH 6:13 PM · 8.3 ft

  • Naushon Point Shoal

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Haddock 58
    • Little tunny 58

    6 kt NL 11:50 AM · 2.2 ftH 6:13 PM · 8.3 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.