The grounds · 180 ft · banks, ledges and wrecks
Atlantic Halibut
Hippoglossus hippoglossus. Prime water reaches Penobscot Bay in New England right now (53°F on the bottom).
LaneThe grounds · 30 fa (180 ft)
Depth it holds295–984 ft
Prime water37–48°F (workable 37–55°F)
Holds in the column295–984 ft down (on the bottom)
Judged onseabed temperature (RTOFS at depth)
Structurenone
The water column off Penobscot Bay
The strip is the water itself, coloured by temperature from the surface down to the 210 ft surveyed bottom at that spot — one band per RTOFS model level. The outlined stretch is where Atlantic Halibut's temperature band (37–55°F) and the depth it holds actually overlap. That thickness is the number that matters: it is how much water you can work, not just whether the spot is warm enough somewhere. One model cycle, not a weekly archive — this holds still while the surface map scrubs.
How it's fished
Big baits on gravel and rock in deep water — rare, tightly regulated, a fish of a lifetime.
Region by region — right now
| Region | Season | Prime water | Temp | Fish it at | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England | in season | reaches Penobscot Bay | 53°F | — | J F M A M J |
"Fish it at" is where this species' temperature band and its holding depth overlap in the water column, from the RTOFS profile (13 levels, 0–300 m) — the depth to actually put a bait, not just the place. "Prime water" is the furthest sampled station on the 30-fathom lane whose seabed temperature sits inside this species' band. It is water, not a sighting report.