Waterlands

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Atlantic bluefin tunaPeak season

Bar · Maine

South Ledge

44.40°N · 68.49°W · Bar · Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME

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Best score today · 10 AM · Atlantic bluefin tuna

80/100Great
Now
648 AM EDT
Best window
8-11 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding8.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score64Good
Tide8.4 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward W
Wind5 kn NNEgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 5 s
Air temp51°Cool
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water56°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.

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

South Ledge

Depth
10-35 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
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 South Ledge

South Ledge is a bar in Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME, Maine. Depth is 10-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 13 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 striped bass, and shoulder season for tautog, summer flounder and mahi-mahi. 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 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.
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

  • Seal Ledge

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    79
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 79
    • Black sea bass 72
    • Atlantic cod 71

    5 kt NNEH 9:15 AM · 9.2 ftL 3:20 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Black Rock

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    79
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 79
    • Black sea bass 72
    • Atlantic cod 71

    5 kt NNEH 9:15 AM · 9.2 ftL 3:20 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Conary Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Atlantic cod 72
    • Striped bass 72

    5 kt NNEH 9:15 AM · 9.2 ftL 3:20 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Closson Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Striped bass 72
    • Black sea bass 64

    5 kt NNEH 9:15 AM · 9.2 ftL 3:20 PM · 1.4 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.