Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Bar · Massachusetts

Sea Ledge

42.26°N · 70.80°W · Bar · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic cod

81/100Great
Now
739 AM EDT
Best window
1-9 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Ebbing3.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score73Great
Tide3.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward W
Wind5 kn NWgusts 12 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 6 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherClear15% cloud
Water66°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

Sea Ledge

Depth
10-20 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · 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 Sea Ledge

Sea Ledge is a bar in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth is 10-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Black Ledge

    Bar · 0.3 mi

    77
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 77
    • Little tunny 75
    • Atlantic cod 73

    5 kt NWL 10:59 AM · 2.1 ftH 5:20 PM · 8.4 ft

  • Brush Ledge

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 77
    • Little tunny 75
    • Atlantic cod 73

    5 kt NWL 10:59 AM · 2.1 ftH 5:20 PM · 8.4 ft

  • Sandy Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    77
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 77
    • Little tunny 74
    • Bluefish 71

    5 kt NWL 10:59 AM · 2.1 ftH 5:20 PM · 8.4 ft

  • Western Channel

    Gut · 0.8 mi

    75
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 75
    • Black sea bass 72
    • Little tunny 66

    5 kt NWL 10:59 AM · 2.1 ftH 5:20 PM · 8.4 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.