Waterlands

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SheepsheadPeak season

Bar · New York

Forlies Rocks

40.96°N · 73.68°W · Bar · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Sheepshead

78/100Great
Now
717 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding4.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score71Great
Tide4.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward SW
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy36% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Sheepshead 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 Sheepshead is best here

Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak

Sheepshead season by week of the year. Peak season for Sheepshead · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Sheepshead in New York

Spot profile

Forlies Rocks

Depth
6-30 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
Season
Peak seasonSheepshead

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 Forlies Rocks

Forlies Rocks is a bar in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 6-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Forbes Rocks

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Little tunny 74
    • Black sea bass 71

    10 kt ENEH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Transport Rock

    Bar · 0.5 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Little tunny 74
    • Black sea bass 71

    10 kt ENEH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Rocky Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 68

    10 kt ENEH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Kniffins Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Little tunny 73
    • Spot 73

    10 kt ENEH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ftL 4:28 AM · 0.5 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.