C-MAP Featured Hotspot: Stellwagen Bank

The swift currents and upwelling created by the sharp dropoff surrounding the Southwest Corner creates important habitat for sandeels, sea herring, and other baitfish.

Between Cape Ann and Cape Cod, in the southwest corner of the Gulf of Maine, is the kidney-shaped plateau called Stellwagen Bank. Stellwagen Bank is a shallow, primarily sandy feature, curving in a southeast to northwest direction for 19 miles. It is roughly 6 miles across at its widest point at the southern end. While the top of the bank averages about 100 to 120 feet, it drops off into 300 feeton its western side.

The shallowest point on Stellwagen Bank is the famed Southwest Corner, which tops out at about 65 feet and drops quickly into 175 to 200 foot depths. The Southwest Corner is only about 5 miles off of Race Point at the tip of Cape Cod, and it is perhaps the most famous bluefin tuna fishing spot in all of Massachusetts Bay.

The swift currents and upwelling created by the sharp dropoff surrounding the Southwest Corner creates important habitat for sandeels, sea herring, and other baitfish that in turn attract bluefin tuna and several species of whales.

Tuna fishermen pursue a number of fishing strategies on the Southwest Corner, including casting and trolling, but it is an especially popular location for fishing live bait, often under kites. Whether you are trolling squid bars or anchored up with live baits, use your chartplotter to narrow down productive areas that concentrate bait and tuna.