Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Massachusetts

Flat Point

42.65°N · 70.59°W · Cape · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Striped bass

87/100Epic
Now
794 PM EDT
Best window
4-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding7.8 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
Score79Great
Tide7.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward SSW
Wind3 kn SWgusts 5 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 8 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherClear6% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 1 more week at peak

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

Scup in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Flat Point

Depth
10-70 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Outer · ExposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonScup

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 Flat Point

Flat Point is a cape in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth in the nearest water is 10-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and black sea bass. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, black sea bass and Atlantic cod, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Scup peak from June through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Ann

    Cape · 0.0 mi

    79
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 79
    • Little tunny 73
    • Striped bass 72

    3 kt SWH 5:10 PM · 8.4 ftL 11:38 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Gully Point Cove

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    79
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 79
    • Black sea bass 71
    • Atlantic cod 70

    3 kt SWH 5:10 PM · 8.4 ftL 11:38 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Gap Head

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    79
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 79
    • Little tunny 73
    • Black sea bass 71

    3 kt SWH 5:10 PM · 8.4 ftL 11:38 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Loblolly Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Scup 71
    • Striped bass 69

    3 kt SWH 5:10 PM · 8.4 ftL 11:38 PM · 1.3 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.