Waterlands

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HaddockPeak season

Bar · Maine

Merriman Ledges

43.77°N · 69.99°W · Bar · Casco Bay

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 PM · Haddock

74/100Great
Now
686 AM EDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding6.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score68Great
Tide6.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward N
Wind6 kn Ngusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 5 s
Air temp52°Cool
WeatherPartly cloudy45% cloud
Water60°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Haddock 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 Haddock is best here

Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak

Haddock season by week of the year. Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Haddock in Maine

Spot profile

Merriman Ledges

Depth
25-40 ftSlope
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · slope
Season
Peak seasonHaddock

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 Merriman Ledges

Merriman Ledges is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 25-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Haddock
Haddock feed on gravel, sand and clay bottom along the edges of banks and ledges, mostly in 120 to 400 feet. They have small, soft mouths, so fish clam or squid on small hooks on a high-low rig, or a light jig with teasers, right on the bottom. Set the hook gently and keep steady pressure on the way up.
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.
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

  • Clark Ledge

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    79
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 79
    • Black sea bass 76
    • Atlantic cod 74

    6 kt NH 7:57 AM · 7.6 ftL 1:47 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Harpswell Sound

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Striped bass 73
    • Little tunny 69

    6 kt NH 7:57 AM · 7.6 ftL 1:47 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Beals Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Striped bass 73
    • Black sea bass 68

    6 kt NH 7:57 AM · 7.5 ftL 1:46 PM · 2.1 ft

  • Reed Cove

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Striped bass 73
    • Black sea bass 68

    6 kt NH 7:57 AM · 7.6 ftL 1:47 PM · 2.2 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.