Waterlands

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Atlantic bluefin tunaPeak season

Bar · Maine

White Ledge

44.36°N · 68.09°W · Bar · Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME

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Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic bluefin tuna

81/100Great
Now
629 AM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High9.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score62Good
Tide9.2 ftHigh
Current0.3 knmodeled · toward WSW
Wind5 kn NEgusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 5 s
Air temp53°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

White Ledge

Depth
60-110 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · 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 White Ledge

White Ledge is a bar in Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME, Maine. Depth is 60-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.

Waterlands scores 13 species here; the best right now are scup, Atlantic cod and black sea bass. It is peak season now for scup, Atlantic cod, black sea bass and Atlantic bluefin tuna, 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. 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.
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

  • Turtle Island Ledge

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Atlantic cod 63
    • Black sea bass 63

    5 kt NEL 3:19 PM · 1.4 ftH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ft

  • Winter Harbor

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Atlantic cod 63
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 62

    5 kt NEL 3:19 PM · 1.4 ftH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ft

  • Roaring Bull

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Atlantic cod 63
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 62

    5 kt NEL 3:19 PM · 1.4 ftH 9:17 PM · 10.1 ft

  • Grindstone Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Atlantic cod 63
    • Striped bass 63

    5 kt NEL 3:19 PM · 1.4 ftH 9:17 PM · 10.1 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.