Waterlands

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Atlantic codPeak season

Bar · Rhode Island

Johnson Ledge

41.63°N · 71.35°W · Bar · Narragansett Bay

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Best score today · 4 PM · Atlantic cod

80/100Great
Now
608 AM EDT
Best window
1-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low1.2 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score73Great
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward N
Wind5 kn SWgusts 11 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy28% cloud
Water65°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic cod is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with RIDEM before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic cod is best here

Peak season for Atlantic cod · 6 more weeks at peak

Atlantic cod season by week of the year. Peak season for Atlantic cod · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Atlantic cod in Rhode Island

Spot profile

Johnson Ledge

Depth
20-30 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
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 Johnson Ledge

Johnson Ledge is a bar in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Depth is 20-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 10 species here; the best right now are scup, black sea bass and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, black sea bass, bluefish and little tunny, and shoulder season for summer flounder and tautog. Scup peak from June through September. Black sea bass peak from June through July and in September. Bluefish peak from June through July and in 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.
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

  • Pine Hill ledge

    Bar · 0.2 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Black sea bass 64
    • Bluefish 62

    7 kt NNEH 2:55 PM · 3.2 ftL 9:24 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Gull Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Striped bass 61
    • Bluefish 60

    7 kt NNEH 3:00 PM · 3.5 ftL 9:27 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Long Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Striped bass 61
    • Bluefish 60

    7 kt NNEH 3:00 PM · 3.5 ftL 9:27 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Sheep Pen Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 60

    7 kt NNEH 3:00 PM · 3.5 ftL 9:27 PM · 1.3 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 RIDEM before you keep a fish.