UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic codPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 562 AM EDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low1.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Middle Rock scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Monday, Oct 5 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 9 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 57°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic cod 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 cod is best here
Peak season for Atlantic cod · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Middle Rock
- Depth
- 70-150 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonAtlantic cod
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 Middle Rock
Middle Rock is a bar in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Depth is 70-150 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 10 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 haddock, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. 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 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.
- 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
- Hitz Point62
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 62
- Scup 52
- Black sea bass 50
6 kt NH 8:28 AM · 8.3 ftL 2:28 PM · 1.8 ft
- Dunham Point Ledge61
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 61
- Black sea bass 59
- Atlantic cod 58
6 kt NH 8:36 AM · 8.6 ftL 2:36 PM · 1.9 ft
- Gull Ledge61
Bar · 2.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 61
- Black sea bass 59
- Atlantic cod 57
6 kt NH 8:36 AM · 8.6 ftL 2:36 PM · 1.9 ft
- Pressey Cove59
Bay · 2.4 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 59
- Scup 58
- Black sea bass 51
6 kt NH 8:36 AM · 8.6 ftL 2:36 PM · 1.9 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.