Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Cape · Maine

Basin Point

43.74°N · 70.04°W · Cape · Casco Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Striped bass

88/100Epic
Now
807 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing7.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 22 · 6 AM

Time6A
Score80Great
Tide5.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward N
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp51°Cool
WeatherOvercast97% cloud
Water60°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Black sea bass in Maine

Spot profile

Basin Point

Depth
6-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
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 Basin Point

Basin Point is a cape in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 6-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Birch Island Ledge

    Bar · 0.5 mi

    81
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 81
    • Scup 81
    • Atlantic cod 78

    8 kt NNWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:58 AM · 7.4 ft

  • Torry Rock

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    81
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 81
    • Scup 81
    • Atlantic cod 77

    8 kt NNWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:58 AM · 7.4 ft

  • Potts Harbor

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    80
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 80
    • Black sea bass 79
    • Scup 79

    8 kt NNWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:58 AM · 7.4 ft

  • Ash Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    80
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 80
    • Striped bass 80
    • Bluefish 74

    8 kt NNWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:58 AM · 7.4 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.