Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Atlantic bluefin tunaPeak season

Bar · Maine

Stave Island Bar

44.44°N · 68.12°W · Bar · Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic bluefin tuna

79/100Great
Now
603 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low1.5 ft

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

Notify me when Stave Island Bar scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sat · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score60Good
Tide1.5 ftLow
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward NW
Wind4 kn ENEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 5 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water57°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 today

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

Stave Island Bar

Depth
1-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Inner · ProtectedBar · flat bottom
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 Stave Island Bar

Stave Island Bar is a bar in Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME, Maine. Depth is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and protected.

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

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Black sea bass 63
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 62

    4 kt ENEH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Halftide Ledge

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Atlantic cod 63
    • Black sea bass 63

    5 kt NEH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Stave Island Harbor

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Black sea bass 61
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 59

    5 kt NEH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Myrick Cove

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 59
    • Striped bass 56

    4 kt ENEH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.7 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.