UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Scup
- Now
- 6611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Back River Cove 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 6 kt SWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 60°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maine DMR before you keep a fish.
Source: Maine DMR · 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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Back River Cove
- Depth
- 10-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- 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 Back River Cove
Back River Cove is a bay in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 10-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, haddock and tautog. It is peak season now for black sea bass, haddock, Atlantic cod and striped bass, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Haddock peak from May through September. Tautog peak in May and from October through November.
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.
- Tautog
- Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Northeast Point Ledges73
Bar · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 73
- Black sea bass 73
- Haddock 69
7 kt NL 1:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:54 PM · 8.7 ft
- The Narrows73
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 73
- Black sea bass 73
- Haddock 69
7 kt NL 1:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:54 PM · 8.7 ft
- Butter Point73
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 73
- Black sea bass 73
- Haddock 69
7 kt NL 1:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:54 PM · 8.7 ft
- Flying Passage71
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 71
- Striped bass 64
- Atlantic cod 63
7 kt NL 1:40 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:54 PM · 8.7 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 Maine DMR before you keep a fish.