Waterlands

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HaddockPeak season

Bay · Massachusetts

Hate Cove

42.75°N · 70.82°W · Bay · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Haddock

84/100Great
Now
663 PM EDT
Best window
3-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding6.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score66Great
Tide6.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.0 kn · toward NW
Wind8 kn NWgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 8 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherClear10% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Haddock 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 Haddock is best here

Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak

Haddock season by week of the year. Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Haddock in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Hate Cove

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonHaddock

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 Hate Cove

Hate Cove is a bay in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Merrill

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Bluefish 76
    • Striped bass 76

    8 kt NWH 5:29 PM · 8.7 ftL 12:04 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Hog Island Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    78
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 78
    • Striped bass 75
    • Bluefish 73

    8 kt NWH 5:29 PM · 8.7 ftL 12:04 AM · 1.2 ft

  • The Thorofare

    Channel · 0.2 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Striped bass 73

    8 kt NWH 5:29 PM · 8.7 ftL 12:04 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Plum Island River

    Gut · 0.4 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Striped bass 73

    8 kt NWH 5:29 PM · 8.7 ftL 12:04 AM · 1.2 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.