Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Cape · Maine

Bald Head

43.99°N · 69.86°W · Cape · Casco Bay

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Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic cod

84/100Great
Now
5611 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 2 AM

Time2A
Score58Good
Tide3.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward NW
Wind4 kn Ngusts 12 · steady
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water58°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 Maine DMR before you keep a fish.

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 Maine

Spot profile

Bald Head

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
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 Bald Head

Bald Head is a cape in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

  • Trotts Rock

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Black sea bass 68
    • Atlantic cod 66

    7 kt NL 3:49 PM · 1.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 5.1 ft

  • The Chops Passage

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Atlantic cod 68
    • Black sea bass 67

    7 kt NL 3:49 PM · 1.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 5.1 ft

  • Chops Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Atlantic cod 67
    • Black sea bass 67

    7 kt NL 3:49 PM · 1.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 5.1 ft

  • Merrymeeting Bay

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    74
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 74
    • Black sea bass 60
    • Striped bass 60

    7 kt NL 3:49 PM · 1.3 ftH 10:04 PM · 5.1 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 Maine DMR before you keep a fish.