UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
HaddockPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · Haddock
- Now
- 638 AM EDT
- Best window
- 3-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing7.4 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Hogshead 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
46Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 13 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
Open-Meteo Marine
77Water temp: 60°F, hotLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Haddock
Species seasonality
93Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
The Hogshead
- Depth
- 35-120 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · 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 The Hogshead
The Hogshead is a bar in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Depth is 35-120 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads bar, outer water and exposed.
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 bluefish, 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
- Matinicus Roads77
Channel · 0.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 77
- Striped bass 68
- Atlantic cod 66
13 kt NNEL 1:02 PM · 2.0 ftH 7:46 PM · 8.4 ft
- Wilson Head77
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 77
- Striped bass 70
- Atlantic cod 66
13 kt NNEL 1:02 PM · 2.0 ftH 7:46 PM · 8.4 ft
- Seal Cove77
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 77
- Atlantic cod 66
- Black sea bass 66
13 kt NNEL 1:02 PM · 2.0 ftH 7:46 PM · 8.4 ft
- Curtis Point71
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Striped bassPeak season- Striped bass 71
- Scup 70
- Little tunny 65
13 kt NNEL 1:02 PM · 2.0 ftH 7:46 PM · 8.4 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.