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Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Striped bass
- Now
- 6811 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Ground 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
94Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 58°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Striped bass
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic cod 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 Atlantic cod is best here
Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Ground
- Depth
- 5-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · ProtectedBar · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic cod
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 Middle Ground
Middle Ground is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 5-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are Atlantic cod, black sea bass and haddock. It is peak season now for Atlantic cod, black sea bass, haddock and little tunny, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Haddock peak from May through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Gurnet Strait71
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 71
- Striped bass 68
- Atlantic cod 63
5 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:59 PM · 8.6 ft
- Indian Point69
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Striped bass 69
- Black sea bass 66
5 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:59 PM · 8.6 ft
- Back Cove67
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 67
- Black sea bass 66
- Little tunny 65
6 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:59 PM · 8.6 ft
- Buttermilk Cove65
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 65
- Bluefish 63
- Atlantic cod 62
5 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:59 PM · 8.6 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.