Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · New York

Milton Harbor

40.95°N · 73.70°W · Bay · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

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Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker

79/100Great
Now
6110 AM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
High7.3 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: Wed · 86

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score61Good
Tide7.3 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Always check with NYSDEC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: NYSDEC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Atlantic croaker in New York →

Spot profile

Milton Harbor

Depth
Up to 9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Milton Harbor

Milton Harbor is a bay in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is up to 9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Greenhaven Channel

    Gut · 0.4 mi

    73
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 73
    • Spot 73
    • Atlantic croaker 63

    11 kt NEL 4:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ft

  • Maries Neck

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 61

    11 kt NEL 4:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ft

  • Mill Pond

    Flat · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 57

    11 kt NEL 4:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:07 PM · 7.7 ft

  • Rye Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 61

    11 kt NEL 4:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:07 PM · 7.7 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 NYSDEC before you keep a fish.