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Black sea bassPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Scup
- Now
- 7210 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Clous Ledge 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
89Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 10 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
99Water temp: 59°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Clous Ledge
- Depth
- 30-150 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Clous Ledge
Clous Ledge is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 30-150 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, Atlantic cod and little tunny. It is peak season now for black sea bass, Atlantic cod, little tunny and bluefish, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.
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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Fourfoot Rock72
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 70
- Little tunny 69
5 kt NL 11:40 AM · 2.3 ftH 6:03 PM · 8.4 ft
- Middle Ledge72
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 70
- Little tunny 69
5 kt NL 11:40 AM · 2.3 ftH 6:03 PM · 8.4 ft
- Powderhorn Ledge72
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 70
- Haddock 68
5 kt NL 11:40 AM · 2.3 ftH 6:03 PM · 8.4 ft
- Long Ledge72
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 69
- Little tunny 69
5 kt NL 11:40 AM · 2.3 ftH 6:03 PM · 8.4 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.
