UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Black sea bassPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Scup
- Now
- 6312 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Punch Bowl 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
78Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
99Wind: 6 kt NNWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 57°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
70Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Black sea bass is best here
Peak season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Punch Bowl
- Depth
- 2-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonBlack sea bass
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 Punch Bowl
Punch Bowl is a bay in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Depth is 2-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, haddock and scup. It is peak season now for black sea bass, haddock, scup and Atlantic cod, and shoulder season for tautog and summer flounder. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Haddock peak from May through September. Scup peak from June through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Swains Cove71
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 71
- Black sea bass 70
- Haddock 66
6 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 ft
- Long Cove71
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 71
- Black sea bass 70
- Haddock 66
6 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 ft
- Howard Ledges68
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: Atlantic codPeak season- Atlantic cod 68
- Black sea bass 68
- Haddock 64
6 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 ft
- Billings Cove64
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Black sea bassPeak season- Black sea bass 64
- Striped bass 63
- Scup 62
6 kt NNWL 1:43 PM · 2.2 ftH 7:57 PM · 9.3 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.