Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Channel · New Jersey

Elbow Thorofare

39.30°N · 74.59°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Little Egg Inlet to Great Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 3 AM · King mackerel

46/100Good
Now
308 AM EDT
Best window
8-10 AMMorning light
Tide now
Ebbing3.0 ft ▼

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Tue · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide3.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward SE
Wind13 kn NEgusts 24 · building
Sea stateVery rough7.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherOvercast61% chance of rain
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Always check with NJFW ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: NJFW · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

King mackerel in New Jersey →

Spot profile

Elbow Thorofare

Depth
3-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonKing mackerel

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 Elbow Thorofare

Elbow Thorofare is a channel in Coastal waters from Little Egg Inlet to Great Egg Inlet NJ out 20 NM, New Jersey. Depth is 3-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are yellowfin tuna, Atlantic bluefin tuna and mahi-mahi. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Mahi-mahi peak from August through September.

Tackle & technique

King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
Yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Rainbow Thorofare

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    45
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 45
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 41
    • Mahi-mahi 38

    13 kt NEL 1:11 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:53 PM · 4.0 ft

  • Ship Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    45
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 45
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 41
    • Mahi-mahi 38

    13 kt NEL 1:14 PM · 0.5 ftH 7:22 PM · 3.9 ft

  • Rainbow Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    45
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 45
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 41
    • Mahi-mahi 38

    13 kt NEL 1:11 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:53 PM · 4.0 ft

  • Bass Harbor

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    45
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 45
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 41
    • Mahi-mahi 38

    13 kt NEL 1:14 PM · 0.5 ftH 7:22 PM · 3.9 ft

Open in the tide map

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 NJFW before you keep a fish.