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Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 704 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding4.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whale Back 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
Tuesday, Sep 22 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 4 kt ESEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 61°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
87Season: PeakHabitat: Usable 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 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
Whale Back
- Depth
- 2-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · 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 Whale Back
Whale Back is a bar in Casco Bay, Maine. Depth is 2-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are Atlantic cod, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for Atlantic cod, little tunny, scup and black sea bass, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Pulpit Rock78
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 78
- Black sea bass 76
- Atlantic cod 73
6 kt NH 8:02 PM · 8.5 ftL 2:34 AM · 1.3 ft
- Boat Cove74
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 74
- Striped bass 70
- Little tunny 69
6 kt NH 8:02 PM · 8.5 ftL 2:34 AM · 1.3 ft
- Spring Cove74
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 74
- Striped bass 70
- Little tunny 69
6 kt NH 8:02 PM · 8.5 ftL 2:34 AM · 1.3 ft
- Peabbles Point71
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 71
- Little tunny 70
- Scup 67
6 kt NH 8:02 PM · 8.5 ftL 2:34 AM · 1.3 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.