Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · New York

Milton Point

40.94°N · 73.70°W · Cape · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

77/100Great
Now
569 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding7.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Sep 25 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score57Good
Tide4.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward SW
Wind10 kn NNEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp55°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water70°FPersisted

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Last week of shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · the off season next

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Last week of shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · the off season next.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in New York

Spot profile

Milton Point

Depth
3-20 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Point

Milton Point is a cape in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth in the nearest water is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Milton Harbor

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Scup 74
    • Sheepshead 69

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

  • Greenhaven Channel

    Gut · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Scup 73
    • Red drum 67

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

  • Rye Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 68
    • Scup 67

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

  • Scotch Caps

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 67
    • Little tunny 65

    10 kt NEH 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.