Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder 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 · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
444 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.9 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 · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide0.9 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy42% cloud
Water71°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 NYSDEC before you keep a fish.

Always check with NYSDEC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: NYSDEC · synced today

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 York →

Spot profile

Milton Harbor

Depth
Up to 9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 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 sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, king mackerel and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July 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.
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

    57
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 57
    • Spot 55
    • Sheepshead 53

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

  • Maries Neck

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Scup 52
    • Spot 49

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

  • Rye Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Scup 52
    • Spot 49

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

  • Mill Pond

    Flat · 0.5 mi

    52
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 52
    • Red drum 51
    • Spot 49

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