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Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 699 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing7.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Northwest 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt WNWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 59°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
98Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: Out of 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 yesterday
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
Northwest Ledge
- Depth
- 10-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Northwest Ledge
Northwest Ledge is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 10-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, black sea bass and Atlantic cod. It is peak season now for scup, black sea bass, Atlantic cod and bluefish, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Scup peak from June through September. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Torry Rock81
Bar · 0.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 81
- Black sea bass 72
- Atlantic cod 69
6 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:06 PM · 8.5 ft
- Potts Harbor79
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 79
- Black sea bass 70
- Striped bass 70
6 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:06 PM · 8.5 ft
- Great Harbor Cove78
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 78
- Striped bass 69
- Black sea bass 64
6 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:06 PM · 8.5 ft
- Potts Point72
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 72
- Striped bass 71
- Little tunny 68
6 kt NL 1:46 PM · 2.1 ftH 8:06 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.