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Black sea bassPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Scup
- Now
- 651 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hough 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 2 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
35Water temp: 57°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 5.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: 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 today
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
Hough Ledge
- Depth
- 30-100 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 Hough Ledge
Hough Ledge is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 30-100 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, scup and Atlantic cod. It is peak season now for black sea bass, scup, Atlantic cod and haddock, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Scup peak from June through September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Midway Rocks67
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Atlantic cod 65
- Black sea bass 65
6 kt NL 1:33 PM · 2.1 ftH 7:51 PM · 8.5 ft
- Old Hump Channel66
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Atlantic cod 65
- Black sea bass 65
6 kt NL 1:33 PM · 2.1 ftH 7:51 PM · 8.5 ft
- Little Franklin Ledge65
Bar · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 65
- Scup 65
- Atlantic cod 64
8 kt NNWL 1:33 PM · 2.1 ftH 7:51 PM · 8.5 ft
- Egg Rock North Ledge65
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 65
- Scup 65
- Atlantic cod 64
8 kt NNWL 1:33 PM · 2.1 ftH 7:51 PM · 8.5 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.