Waterlands

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HaddockPeak season

Bay · Maine

Bucks Harbor

44.33°N · 68.74°W · Bay · Penobscot Bay

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Best score today · 8 AM · Haddock

82/100Great
Now
618 AM EDT
Best window
8-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High8.3 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
Score61Good
Tide8.3 ftHigh
CurrentEbb0.1 kn · toward E
Wind4 kn NNWgusts 10 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 4 s
Air temp52°Cool
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water56°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Haddock 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 Haddock is best here

Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak

Haddock season by week of the year. Peak season for Haddock · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Haddock in Maine

Spot profile

Bucks Harbor

Depth
10-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonHaddock

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 Bucks Harbor

Bucks Harbor is a bay in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Depth is 10-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 10 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 striped bass, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. 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

Haddock
Haddock feed on gravel, sand and clay bottom along the edges of banks and ledges, mostly in 120 to 400 feet. They have small, soft mouths, so fish clam or squid on small hooks on a high-low rig, or a light jig with teasers, right on the bottom. Set the hook gently and keep steady pressure on the way up.
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

  • Harbor Ledge

    Bar · 0.3 mi

    82
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 82
    • Black sea bass 67
    • Atlantic cod 65

    4 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 ft

  • Condon Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    82
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 82
    • Striped bass 67
    • Atlantic cod 66

    4 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 ft

  • Grays Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    82
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 82
    • Atlantic cod 67
    • Striped bass 67

    4 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 ft

  • Orcutt Harbor

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    81
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 81
    • Striped bass 66
    • Black sea bass 65

    4 kt NNWL 1:40 PM · 2.4 ftH 7:56 PM · 9.4 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.