Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Bay · Massachusetts

Menemsha Bight

41.35°N · 70.78°W · Bay · Vineyard Sound

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Best score today · 7 PM · Atlantic cod

78/100Great
Now
553 PM EDT
Best window
3-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.6 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
Score55Good
Tide2.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward E
Wind4 kn SSEgusts 7 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 5 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherClear19% cloud
Water71°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

Menemsha Bight

Depth
8-35 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Menemsha Bight

Menemsha Bight is a bay in Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts. Depth is 8-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Squibnocket Bight

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Little tunny 69
    • Bluefish 67

    4 kt SSEL 7:42 PM · 1.0 ftH 1:31 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Gay Head

    Cape · 3.0 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Scup 70
    • Bluefish 67

    4 kt SSEL 8:29 PM · 1.0 ftH 2:10 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Devils Bridge

    Bar · 3.5 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Bluefish 68

    4 kt SSEL 8:29 PM · 1.0 ftH 2:10 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Peases Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 69
    • Bluefish 64

    4 kt SSEL 9:02 PM · 0.9 ftH 2:33 AM · 2.1 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.