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Atlantic codShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic cod
- Now
- 696 AM EST
- Best window
- 6-9 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing7.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Seal Ledge 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
Thursday, Nov 12 · 2 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: EbbingWind & pressure
ECMWF
56Wind: 15 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 54°F, warmLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic cod
Species seasonality
75Season: ShoulderHabitat: 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
Shoulder season for Atlantic cod · 4 more weeks at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Seal Ledge
- Depth
- 15-130 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Outer · ExposedLedge · drop-off
- Season
- Shoulder 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 Seal Ledge
Seal Ledge is a bar in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Depth is 15-130 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 9 species here; the best right now are tautog, Atlantic cod and haddock. It is peak season now for tautog, and shoulder season for Atlantic cod, haddock, striped bass and little tunny. Tautog peak in May and from October through November. Atlantic cod peak from May through June and from September through October. Haddock peak from May through September.
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.
- Tautog
- Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Camp Cove69
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: Atlantic codShoulder season- Atlantic cod 69
- Tautog 69
- Haddock 61
16 kt WSWL 9:55 AM · 1.1 ftH 4:40 PM · 9.3 ft
- Seal Cove69
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: Atlantic codShoulder season- Atlantic cod 69
- Tautog 69
- Haddock 61
16 kt WSWL 9:55 AM · 1.1 ftH 4:40 PM · 9.3 ft
- Wilson Head69
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Atlantic codShoulder season- Atlantic cod 69
- Tautog 69
- Striped bass 65
16 kt WSWL 9:55 AM · 1.1 ftH 4:40 PM · 9.3 ft
- Bull Cove68
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: TautogPeak season- Tautog 68
- Striped bass 63
- Atlantic cod 60
16 kt WSWL 9:55 AM · 1.1 ftH 4:40 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.