Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bar · New York

Cuban Ledge

40.84°N · 73.80°W · Bar · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

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Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass

73/100Great
Now
591 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score59Good
Tide4.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward E
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 29 · steady
Sea stateRough4.6 ft · 7 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NYSDEC before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in New York

Spot profile

Cuban Ledge

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Cuban Ledge

Cuban Ledge is a bar in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, little tunny and sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, sheepshead, summer flounder and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, king mackerel and tautog. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead graze barnacles and crabs off pilings, jetty rocks, bridge supports, oyster bars and nearshore reefs, from a few feet deep out to about 50 feet. Drop a fiddler crab, sand flea or piece of shrimp on a small, strong hook straight down next to the structure with just enough weight to hold bottom. The bite is a light tap, so keep the line tight and set the hook fast.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Palmer Inlet

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 56
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    12 kt ENEL 4:31 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:16 PM · 7.4 ft

  • Cherry Tree Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Bluefish 53
    • Striped bass 52

    12 kt ENEL 4:31 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:16 PM · 7.4 ft

  • Big Tom

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Bluefish 55
    • Spanish mackerel 53

    12 kt ENEL 4:31 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:16 PM · 7.4 ft

  • Eastchester Bay

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Sheepshead 56
    • Bluefish 53

    12 kt ENEL 4:31 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:16 PM · 7.4 ft

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 NYSDEC before you keep a fish.