Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Cape · Massachusetts

Paul Point

41.44°N · 70.69°W · Cape · Vineyard Sound

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Best score today · 3 AM · Atlantic cod

82/100Great
Now
718 AM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score70Great
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb2.6 kn · toward WSW
Wind6 kn SWgusts 16 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy42% cloud
Water65°FPersisted

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.

Source: MassDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic cod is best here

Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic cod season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic cod in Massachusetts

Spot profile

Paul Point

Depth
8-50 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
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 Paul Point

Paul Point is a cape in Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts. Depth in the nearest water is 8-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Norton Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Striped bass 72
    • Bluefish 70

    11 kt NNEL 11:34 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:57 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Lucas Shoal

    Bar · 3.0 mi

    73
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 73
    • Atlantic cod 72
    • Bluefish 72

    11 kt NNEL 11:34 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:57 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Lamberts Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    70
    Top: BluefishPeak season
    • Bluefish 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Striped bass 69

    11 kt NNEL 11:34 AM · 0.6 ftH 4:57 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Kuffies Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Little tunny 65
    • Striped bass 64

    11 kt NNEH 8:25 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.6 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.