Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · New York

Orienta Point

40.94°N · 73.72°W · Cape · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

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Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel

78/100Great
Now
531 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score53Good
Tide4.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward ENE
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% 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.

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

Orienta Point

Depth
3-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Orienta Point

Orienta Point is a cape in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth in the nearest water is 3-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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.
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

  • Mamaroneck Harbor

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Sheepshead 70
    • Little tunny 68

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

  • Indian Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 63
    • Bluefish 61

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

  • Black Tom

    Bar · 0.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 63
    • Spanish mackerel 63

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

  • Pops Rocks

    Bar · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 67
    • Little tunny 67
    • Sheepshead 66

    11 kt ENEL 4:03 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:07 PM · 7.7 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.