Waterlands

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Black sea bassPeak season

Bar · Maine

Long Ledge

43.94°N · 69.70°W · Bar · Casco Bay

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Best score today · 7 PM · Scup

82/100Great
Now
753 PM EDT
Best window
7-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding6.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Sep 26 · 8 PM

Time8P
Score73Great
Tide2.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward N
Wind6 kn NEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 8 s
Air temp55°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy38% cloud
Water59°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

Long Ledge

Depth
1-25 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · ProtectedLedge · slope
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 Long Ledge

Long Ledge is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 1-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and protected.

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 bluefish, 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

  • Shag Ledge

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    75
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 75
    • Scup 75
    • Atlantic cod 71

    10 kt NWH 5:14 PM · 8.7 ftL 11:42 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Halftide Rock

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    75
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 75
    • Scup 75
    • Atlantic cod 71

    10 kt NWH 5:14 PM · 8.7 ftL 11:42 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Rum Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    74
    Top: Black sea bassPeak season
    • Black sea bass 74
    • Scup 74
    • Atlantic cod 72

    10 kt NWH 5:14 PM · 8.7 ftL 11:42 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Young Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    72
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 72
    • Black sea bass 67
    • Little tunny 67

    10 kt NWH 5:41 PM · 8.7 ftL 12:09 AM · 1.5 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.