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SpotPeak seasonBay · New York
Smithtown Bay
40.94°N · 73.25°W · Bay · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Spot
- Now
- 629 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding6.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Smithtown Bay scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Monday, Oct 5 · 3 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
59Wind: 11 kt ENEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
71Water temp: 68°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
70Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NYSDEC before you keep a fish.
Source: NYSDEC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Smithtown Bay
- Depth
- 45-60 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Smithtown Bay
Smithtown Bay is a bay in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 45-60 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
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 bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Sheepshead
- Sheepshead graze barnacles and crabs off pilings, jetty rocks, bridge supports, oyster bars and nearshore reefs, from a few feet deep out to about 50 feet. Drop a fiddler crab, sand flea or piece of shrimp on a small, strong hook straight down next to the structure with just enough weight to hold bottom. The bite is a light tap, so keep the line tight and set the hook fast.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Duck Island Harbor76
Bay · 6.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Scup 73
- Sheepshead 66
7 kt NEL 4:09 AM · 0.5 ftH 10:17 AM · 7.5 ft
- Northport Harbor74
Bay · 6.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 74
- Scup 71
- Sheepshead 66
10 kt NEH 10:10 PM · 7.3 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.7 ft
- Northport Basin70
Bay · 5.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 69
- Sheepshead 61
10 kt NEH 10:10 PM · 7.3 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.7 ft
- Northport Bay70
Bay · 6.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 69
- Sheepshead 61
10 kt NEH 10:10 PM · 7.3 ftL 4:30 AM · 0.7 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.