Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Black sea bassShoulder season

Bar · New York

Hatch Rock

40.97°N · 73.07°W · Bar · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

70/100Great
Now
5711 AM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing5.9 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Hatch Rock scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score57Good
Tide5.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.6 kn · toward NNW
Wind20 kn ENEgusts 28 · easing
Sea stateModerate3.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°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.

Source: NYSDEC · synced yesterday

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

Hatch Rock

Depth
10-20 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · slope
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 Hatch Rock

Hatch Rock is a bar in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 10-20 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 spot, 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

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.
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

  • Moneyhollow Rock

    Bar · 0.6 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Little tunny 58
    • Black sea bass 57

    20 kt ENEL 3:45 PM · 0.9 ftH 9:55 PM · 6.6 ft

  • 63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 62
    • Little tunny 60

    20 kt ENEL 3:45 PM · 0.9 ftH 9:54 PM · 6.9 ft

  • Mount Misery Shoal

    Bar · 1.3 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Black sea bass 55
    • Little tunny 55

    20 kt ENEL 3:45 PM · 0.9 ftH 9:54 PM · 6.9 ft

  • Mount Misery Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Scup 55
    • Striped bass 55

    20 kt ENEL 3:45 PM · 0.9 ftH 9:54 PM · 6.9 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.