Quick Reference: Northeast Groundfish Regs (Fall 2026)
Check the season before you pack the crate. Massachusetts sea bass closes after October 14, and tog limits change on different dates up and down the coast.
Fall sea bass. Check the season before you pack the crate.
Fishing near a state line
A lot of the best sea bass and tog spots around here sit close to the line between Massachusetts and Rhode Island waters, and the two states don't always match on season, size or bag. The rules for where you fish and where you land can both come into play, and it gets murky when you put in from one state and fish the other's water.
I got checked once by an Environmental Police officer while I was out with a captain buddy near the line. The officer read the rules one way and we read them another. I'm still not sure who had it right. Know the regs for every state you might fish in or land in, keep them on your phone, and when it's gray, keep only fish that are legal under both.
Capt. Mike Hogan
Black sea bass, October to December
| State | Minimum | Private and shore, fall |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | 13 in | Closed Oct 1–17; 10 fish Oct 18–Dec 31 |
| New Hampshire | 16.5 in | 4 fish; no closed season listed |
| Massachusetts | 16 in | 2 fish through Oct 14; closed Oct 15 on |
| Rhode Island | 16 in | 3 fish through Dec 31 |
| Connecticut | 15.5 in | 4 fish through Nov 25; closed after |
| New York | 16 in | 6 fish through Dec 31 |
| New Jersey | 12.5 in | 10 fish through Oct 31; 15 fish Nov 1–Dec 31 |
Charter differences. Rhode Island allows six sea bass per angler on charters from October through December. Connecticut's paying charter passengers get six through December 31. Massachusetts stays at two through October 14 for everyone.
Measuring. Leave the tail filament out when you measure.
Offshore. NOAA uses state and regional conservation-equivalency measures for sea bass in 2026. Running offshore doesn't get you around your state's season.
Tautog, October to December
| State or region | Minimum | Fall schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Maine | No minimum in the DMR summary | No bag limit or seasonal closure shown in that summary |
| New Hampshire | Not resolved in the reviewed guide | Confirm with NH Fish and Game before keeping fish |
| Massachusetts | 16 in; only one per person per day over 21 in | 3 through Oct 14; 5 Oct 15–Dec 31 |
| Rhode Island | 16 in; only one per person per day over 21 in | 3 through Oct 14; 5 Oct 15–Dec 31 |
| Connecticut | 16 in | 3 Oct 10–Nov 28; closed outside that fall window |
| New York, Long Island Sound | 16 in | 3 Oct 11–Dec 9 |
| New York, Bight | 16 in | 4 Oct 15–Dec 22 |
| New Jersey | 15 in | 1 through Nov 15; 5 Nov 16–Dec 31 |
Boat caps. Massachusetts and Rhode Island private boats have a ten-tog vessel maximum. Apply the individual bag and the boat cap together.
The big fish. The one-over-21-inch allowance counts inside the bag. It isn't an extra fish.
New York regions. The Sound region runs east of the Throgs Neck Bridge and west of the Orient Point to Watch Hill line. Use DEC's exact definition.
Crabs in New York. Green crabs must be dead before you use them as bait. Asian shore crabs have their own collection, transport and use rules.
Tog limits change on different dates up and down the coast.
Scup, fluke and winter flounder
These are full-season schedules, because their fall status is easiest to see against the closing date.
| State | Scup | Fluke | Winter flounder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maine | Not listed in the reviewed DMR summary; confirm with DMR | 20 in / 2; no seasonal closure shown | 12 in / 8; no seasonal closure shown |
| New Hampshire | Not resolved in the reviewed guide; confirm with Fish and Game | 15 in / no bag limit; no closed season listed | 12 in / 8; no closed season listed |
| Massachusetts | 11 in boat, 9.5 in shore / 30; May 1–Dec 31; private boat cap 150 | 17.5 in boat, 16.5 in shore / 5; May 24–Sept 23 | Gulf of Maine: 12 in / 8, year-round. Southern New England: 12 in / 2, March 1–Dec 31 |
| Rhode Island | 11 in boat, 9.5 in shore / 30; May 1–Dec 31 | 19 in / 6; Apr 1–Dec 31 | 12 in / 2; March 1–Dec 31; closed areas apply |
| Connecticut | 11 in boat, 9.5 in shore / 30; May 1–Dec 31 | 3 fish: 19 in May 4–Aug 1; 19.5 in Aug 2–Oct 15 | 12 in / 2; Apr 1–Dec 31 |
| New York | 11 in boat, 9.5 in shore / 30; May 1–Dec 31 | 3 fish: 19 in May 4–Aug 1; 19.5 in Aug 2–Oct 15 | 12 in / 2; Apr 1–May 30; no fall season |
| New Jersey | 10 in / 30; Jan 1–June 30 and Sept 1–Dec 31 | Generally 18 in / 3; May 4–Sept 25 | 12 in / 2; March 1–Dec 31 |
Scup charter bonus. Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York allow 40 scup in September and October on qualifying for-hire trips. New York requires an original dated fare receipt to use that allowance above 30. Massachusetts's 40-fish charter period is May and June, and its fall charter limit is 30. NOAA's federal recreational scup rule is 10 inches, 40 fish, all year, but state rules still apply.
Fluke shore exceptions. Rhode Island allows two of the six-fish bag at 17 inches at designated shore sites. Connecticut uses 17 inches at designated enhanced shore sites within its three-fish bag. New Jersey allows three at 17 inches in its defined Delaware Bay area, or two at 16 inches from shore at Island Beach State Park. These don't apply everywhere nearby.
Rhode Island winter flounder closed areas. Narragansett Bay north of the COLREGS line, Potter Pond, Point Judith Pond and the Harbor of Refuge. Check the official boundaries before you keep fish.
Scup
Fluke
Cod, haddock and pollock: check the management area
| Federal species and area | Minimum / bag | Current season |
|---|---|---|
| Cod: Eastern Gulf of Maine, Western Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank | 23 in / 1 per person per day | Sept 1–Oct 31 |
| Cod: Southern New England | No retention | Closed |
| Haddock: inside the Gulf of Maine Regulated Mesh Area | 17 in / 15, private and for-hire | All year except March |
| Haddock: outside that area | 18 in / no bag limit | All year |
| Pollock | 19 in / no bag limit | All year |
Cod stock areas and the haddock Regulated Mesh Area use different boundaries. Use NOAA's maps for where you're actually fishing.
State differences. Maine and New Hampshire list cod at 23 inches, one fish, September and October, and haddock at 17 inches, 15 fish, outside the March closure. Massachusetts lists the same for its northern areas; Southern New England cod retention is prohibited, and haddock there is 18 inches with no bag limit. Rhode Island prohibits cod retention; haddock is 18 inches and pollock 19 inches, with no bag limit and year-round seasons. Connecticut points anglers to NOAA's groundfish measures.
New York and New Jersey state tables list cod at 23 inches, five fish, on September to May schedules. Those state entries don't authorize keeping cod from the closed federal Southern New England area. Both list haddock at 18 inches and pollock at 19 inches, with no bag limit or closed season.
Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts state-water pollock entries have no minimum or bag limit; the federal 19-inch minimum applies to fish from federal water. When state and federal rules both apply, use the most restrictive.
Cod
Haddock
Other bottom fish
NOAA's federal recreational table also lists halibut at 41 inches and one per vessel per trip; plaice and witch flounder at 14 inches; yellowtail flounder at 13 inches; winter flounder at 12 inches; and redfish at 9 inches. Except halibut, those federal entries have no bag limit and are open year-round. State rules may be tighter. Federal wolffish, windowpane flounder and ocean pout retention is prohibited. Maine halibut has a short spring state season with tagging requirements, so it isn't a general fall keeper.
The dock check
- Confirm the license or registry, the exact location, the date, the fishing mode and the landing state
- Check individual bags and vessel caps
- Keep fish measurable; confirm state and federal rules before filleting at sea
- Check closed areas and current agency notices. An open season doesn't open every location.
Official sources
Use these for complete seasons, exceptions, in-season changes and jurisdiction maps. Checked October 5, 2026. The unresolved Maine scup and New Hampshire scup and tog entries above are not a declaration of unlimited harvest.
