Waterlands

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Atlantic bluefin tunaPeak season

Bar · Maine

Western Reef

44.48°N · 67.81°W · Bar · Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME

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Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic bluefin tuna

82/100Great
Now
6211 AM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing8.4 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: Thu · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score62Good
Tide8.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward WSW
Wind7 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp59°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 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

Western Reef

Depth
25-70 ftDrop-off
Structure
Reef · Outer · ExposedReef · 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 Western Reef

Western Reef is a bar in Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME, Maine. Depth is 25-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads reef, outer water and exposed.

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

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Trafton Island Ledge

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    74
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 74
    • Black sea bass 73
    • Atlantic cod 72

    7 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:24 PM · 11.0 ft

  • Pond Island Ledge

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    74
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 74
    • Atlantic cod 73
    • Black sea bass 73

    7 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:24 PM · 11.0 ft

  • Flint Island Narrows

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    73
    Top: Atlantic codPeak season
    • Atlantic cod 73
    • Scup 73
    • Black sea bass 72

    7 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:24 PM · 11.0 ft

  • Southwest Cove

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    71
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 71
    • Striped bass 69
    • Black sea bass 65

    7 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 1.8 ftH 9:24 PM · 11.0 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.