Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · Maine

Dry Ledge

43.81°N · 69.69°W · Bar · Casco Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Striped bass

81/100Great
Now
788 PM EDT
Best window
8-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.7 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Dry Ledge scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score75Great
Tide8.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SSE
Wind8 kn WNWgusts 21 · steady
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water59°FPersisted

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

Dry Ledge

Depth
15-150 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · 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 Dry Ledge

Dry Ledge is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 15-150 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and 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 haddock, 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

  • Mollys Head

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    79
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 79
    • Little tunny 78
    • Black sea bass 77

    8 kt NWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:57 AM · 7.4 ft

  • Nick Ledge

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    78
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 78
    • Atlantic cod 75
    • Little tunny 75

    8 kt NWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:57 AM · 7.4 ft

  • Cat Ledges

    Bar · 0.2 mi

    77
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 77
    • Atlantic cod 75
    • Little tunny 75

    8 kt NWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:57 AM · 7.4 ft

  • Christmas Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 77
    • Atlantic cod 75
    • Bluefish 72

    8 kt NWL 11:39 PM · 1.4 ftH 5:57 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.