Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

Pond Rocks

43.21°N · 70.58°W · Bar · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · Little tunny

73/100Great
Now
585 AM EDT
Best window
6 AM-2 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score58Good
Tide2.0 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind6 kn NNEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp47°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Source: MassDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 4 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Pond Rocks

Depth
8-60 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 Pond Rocks

Pond Rocks is a bar in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth is 8-60 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cape Neddick Harbor

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    70
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 70
    • Scup 65
    • Black sea bass 64

    6 kt NNEH 9:35 AM · 8.0 ftL 3:36 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Wadleighs Head

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 68
    • Atlantic cod 67
    • Black sea bass 65

    6 kt NNEH 9:35 AM · 8.0 ftL 3:36 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Weare Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 68
    • Bluefish 61
    • Little tunny 61

    6 kt NNEH 9:35 AM · 8.0 ftL 3:36 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Phillips Cove

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    66
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 66
    • Scup 63
    • Bluefish 61

    6 kt NNEH 9:35 AM · 8.0 ftL 3:36 PM · 1.4 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.