Waterlands

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Atlantic bluefin tunaPeak season

Bar · Maine

Flat Island Ledges

44.46°N · 67.70°W · Bar · Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME

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Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic bluefin tuna

85/100Epic
Now
619 AM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High10.6 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: today · 85

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score61Good
Tide10.6 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind5 kn NEgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 5 s
Air temp53°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water55°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic bluefin tuna is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maine DMR before you keep a fish.

Always check with Maine DMR ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: Maine DMR · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic bluefin tuna is best here

Peak season for Atlantic bluefin tuna · 5 more weeks at peak

Atlantic bluefin tuna season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic bluefin tuna · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic bluefin tuna in Maine →

Spot profile

Flat Island Ledges

Depth
10-110 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonAtlantic bluefin tuna

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 Flat Island Ledges

Flat Island Ledges is a bar in Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME, Maine. Depth is 10-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are scup, Atlantic cod and Atlantic bluefin tuna. It is peak season now for scup, Atlantic cod, Atlantic bluefin tuna and black sea bass, and shoulder season for tautog, summer flounder and mahi-mahi. Scup peak from June through September. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from July through October.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
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

View all on map →
  • Plummer Ledge

    Bar · 1.8 mi

    76
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 76
    • Atlantic cod 62
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 61

    5 kt NEH 9:05 AM · 10.6 ftL 3:08 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Hay Ledge

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    76
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 76
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 61
    • Atlantic cod 61

    5 kt NEH 9:05 AM · 10.6 ftL 3:08 PM · 1.8 ft

  • The Sands

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Atlantic cod 62
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 61

    5 kt NEH 9:05 AM · 10.6 ftL 3:08 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Western Bay

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Atlantic cod 62
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 61

    5 kt NEH 9:05 AM · 10.6 ftL 3:08 PM · 1.8 ft

Open in the tide map

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.