Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bay · Massachusetts

Sandy Bay

42.68°N · 70.61°W · Bay · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

63/100Good
Now
445 AM EDT
Best window
6-10 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.1 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
Score44Fair
Tide2.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind19 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateRough4.5 ft · 5 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy63% cloud
Water62°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak

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

Black sea bass in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Sandy Bay

Depth
80-90 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBlack sea bass

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 Sandy Bay

Sandy Bay is a bay in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth is 80-90 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are haddock, scup and striped bass. It is peak season now for haddock, scup, striped bass and bluefish, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Haddock peak from May through September. Scup peak from June through September. Striped bass peak from May through June and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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

  • Gully Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    55
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 55
    • Atlantic cod 54
    • Black sea bass 51

    19 kt NEH 9:39 AM · 7.8 ftL 3:33 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Gap Head

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    55
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 55
    • Atlantic cod 54
    • Black sea bass 51

    19 kt NEH 9:39 AM · 7.8 ftL 3:33 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Avery Ledge

    Bar · 1.0 mi

    54
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 54
    • Black sea bass 52
    • Bluefish 50

    19 kt NEH 9:39 AM · 7.8 ftL 3:33 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Gully Point Cove

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    54
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 54
    • Black sea bass 51
    • Scup 50

    19 kt NEH 9:39 AM · 7.8 ftL 3:33 PM · 1.5 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.