Best time to fish in Hillsborough
Today, Thursday, October 29, 2026 · local time (ADT) · New Brunswick, Canada Today, Thu, Oct 29 · ADT- Major periods
- 2:55–4:55 am and 3:28–5:28 pm
- Minor periods
- 11:58 am–12:58 pm and 7:58–8:58 pm
- Solunar activity
- Medium
- Sun
- 7:55 am–6:09 pm
Today, Thursday, October 29, the best time to fish in Hillsborough is 3:00 am to 5:00 am, with a major period and falling pressure. It's a good day (7/10). The best day this week is Friday, October 30, at 9/10.
We don't have a tide station close enough to Hillsborough, so the tide doesn't count in the rating: it comes from the solunar periods, the light and the weather.
Your day in Hillsborough at a glance
The strip runs from midnight to midnight, local time. Night in gray, daylight in yellow; below, the solunar periods and the best windows.
Fishing forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best times | Moon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 7good day | 3:00–5:00 am7:20–8:40 am | Waning gibbous |
| Fri 30 | 9great day | 5:20–6:30 pm7:30–8:40 am | Waning gibbous |
| Sat 31 | 6average day | 5:30–6:40 pm | Waning gibbous |
| Sun 1 | 5average day | 6:30–7:30 pm4:20–5:30 pm | Last quarter |
| Mon 2 | 8good day | 6:30–7:40 am6:20–8:20 pm | Waning crescent |
| Tue 3 | 7good day | 6:40–7:50 am7:10–9:10 pm | Waning crescent |
| Wed 4 | 8good day | 7:30–8:30 am | Waning crescent |
Each day's rating comes from the solunar periods, the light and, when we have the forecast, the weather (the tide doesn't count here).
What can you catch in Hillsborough?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 62 mi of Hillsborough: winter flounder, haddock, Atlantic cod, Atlantic mackerel and longfin inshore squid. October is one of the months when these are seen most: haddock, Atlantic cod and pollock.
- Winter flounder Pseudopleuronectes americanus · fish · 10,043 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus · fish · 3,813 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic cod Gadus morhua · fish · 1,779 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic mackerel Scomber scombrus · fish · 361 records Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Longfin inshore squid Doryteuthis pealeii · cephalopod · 211 records Photo: Wikimedia Commons · public domain
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Pollock Pollachius virens · fish · 162 records Photo: Tino Strauss · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
- Atlantic halibut Hippoglossus hippoglossus · fish · 130 records Photo: Vsevolod Rudyi · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- JanJ
- FebF
- MarM
- AprA
- MayM
- JunJ
- JulJ
- AugA
- SepS
- OctO
- NovN
- DecD
These are sightings and catches recorded since 1970 (reports from divers and anglers, scientific surveys and museum collections), not a promise that you will catch them. The months come from sightings only, adjusted for how many there are each month; hatched months have too few to tell.
Source: GBIF.org, which also gathers OBIS data. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0, from 1,130 datasets (retrieved October 24, 2026). Where the data comes from
Photos: each species' image on Wikidata (Wikimedia Commons) or, if there isn't one, one from GBIF; only licences that allow this use, each with its author and licence.
Piers, ramps and tackle shops nearby
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
Within 9.3 mi. A spot may be missing or closed. Open the map on OpenStreetMap · Missing one? Add it to OpenStreetMap
Spots: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps.
How we work out the best time
We score every moment of the day, every 10 minutes, with simple rules anglers have used for decades:
- Solunar: 2.5 points in the major periods (moon overhead or underfoot) and 1.5 in the minor ones (moonrise and moonset).
- Light: 2 points at dawn and dusk, from first light to the end of the morning golden hour and from the evening golden hour to the end of twilight.
- Weather: falling pressure adds 1 point and rising pressure takes 1 away; wind takes points away from force 4 (about 12 mph), up to 5 points in a gale; waves of 1.6 ft to 4.9 ft add half a point (they stir up the water) and from 8.2 ft they take points away (up to 4).
- Best windows: the stretches of 40 minutes to 3 hours with the most points, at least an hour apart.
- Day's rating out of 10: the best window (up to 5), the moon (up to 2, near new or full moon), the tide coefficient (up to 2) and whether a solunar period lines up with sunrise or sunset (1). Without a tide, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10. Good weather adds up to 1 point and bad weather pulls it down.
Today: best window 2.4 of 5, moon 1 of 2 and lineup 1 of 1; the weather adds 1.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: fish don't read tide tables. Always check the sea conditions and local fishing rules before you go.
Learn more
Fishing rules in Hillsborough
Licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons are set by the authorities and change often. We don't copy them here: check the official website before you go.
Questions about fishing in Hillsborough
What's the best time to fish in Hillsborough today?
3:00 am to 5:00 am, with a major period and falling pressure. Also 7:20 am to 8:40 am and 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Today's rating: 7/10 (good day).
What about tomorrow? When's the best time to fish in Hillsborough?
Tomorrow, Friday, October 30: 5:20 pm to 6:30 pm, with a rating of 9/10.
Which day this week is best for fishing in Hillsborough?
Friday, October 30, at 9/10. Its best window is 5:20 pm to 6:30 pm.
What can you catch in Hillsborough?
Sport fishing species with the most records within about 62 mi of Hillsborough: winter flounder, haddock, Atlantic cod, Atlantic mackerel and longfin inshore squid. October is one of the months when these are seen most: haddock, Atlantic cod and pollock. These are sightings and catches recorded in GBIF and OBIS, not a promise that you will catch them.
When are the solunar periods in Hillsborough today?
Major: 2:55–4:55 am and 3:28–5:28 pm. Minor: 11:58 am–12:58 pm and 7:58–8:58 pm. Solunar activity today: medium.
Does the tide affect fishing in Hillsborough?
We leave it out: there's no tide station close enough to Hillsborough to give reliable tide times. Where the tide is noticeable, the hours before and after high and low tide tend to fish best.
How is the rating worked out?
From the solunar periods, the light at dawn and dusk, the moon phase and, when we have the forecast, the pressure, the wind and the waves. Each factor gives a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10. The tide doesn't count here: without it, we score out of 8 and scale it to 10.
Does it take the weather into account?
Yes. During today's best window: falling pressure (−0.20 inHg in 24 h), light offshore wind (10 mph) and calm sea (0.6 ft waves). Strong wind and big waves lower the rating; falling pressure raises it a little.
What are the fishing rules in Hillsborough?
Recreational fishing rules in Hillsborough (licenses, size limits, bag limits and closed seasons) are set by the authorities: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Region and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. They change often: check the official website before you go.
More about Hillsborough today
Our own calculation: sun and moon with astronomy-engine and, when available, weather and sea from Open-Meteo (ECMWF, NOAA GFS and Copernicus Marine, CC BY 4.0).