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Winter flounderOff seasonBay · Massachusetts
York Harbor Entrance
43.13°N · 70.62°W · Bay · Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Winter flounder
- Now
- 302 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when York Harbor Entrance scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
70Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 6 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
31Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 62°F, warmLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 ftSeason & habitat · Winter flounder
Species seasonality
42Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Winter flounder is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with MassDMF before you keep a fish.
Source: MassDMF · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Winter flounder is best here
Out of season for Winter flounder · it leaves in 10 weeks
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
York Harbor Entrance
- Depth
- 30-60 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · slope
- Season
- Off seasonWinter flounder
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 York Harbor Entrance
York Harbor Entrance is a bay in Massachusetts Bay and Ipswich Bay. Depth is 30-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and striped bass. It is peak season now for bluefish, little tunny, striped bass and Atlantic cod, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Bluefish peak from June through July and in September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Striped bass peak from May through June and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Winter flounder
- Winter flounder spend late winter and spring on mud and sand bottom in harbors, coves and tidal channels, often in 5 to 30 feet. Anchor, chum with crushed clams or mussels, and fish small long-shank hooks with worm or clam on the bottom, tapping the rig to stir up mud. The bite is light, so use a sensitive rod.
- Bluefish
- Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- East Point65
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Striped bass 63
- Bluefish 62
6 kt EL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:38 PM · 8.9 ft
- Millbury Ledge62
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 62
- Bluefish 62
- Black sea bass 61
8 kt ENEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:38 PM · 8.9 ft
- Black Rocks62
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 62
- Bluefish 62
- Black sea bass 61
8 kt ENEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:38 PM · 8.9 ft
- York Harbor61
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 61
- Black sea bass 60
- Bluefish 60
8 kt ENEL 3:38 PM · 1.3 ftH 9:38 PM · 8.9 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.
