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King mackerelShoulder seasonBar · New York
Stepping Stones
40.82°N · 73.77°W · Bar · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 489 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding6.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Stepping Stones 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
72Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
78Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
68Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 4.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NYSDEC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Stepping Stones
- Depth
- 10-35 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Stepping Stones
Stepping Stones is a bar in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 10-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, Spanish mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, king mackerel and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Deep Reef69
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Black sea bass 60
- Little tunny 60
10 kt NEH 10:07 AM · 7.3 ftL 4:20 PM · 1.0 ft
- Elm Point62
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 62
- Scup 60
- Bluefish 55
10 kt NEH 10:07 AM · 7.3 ftL 4:20 PM · 1.0 ft
- Belden Point59
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 59
- Scup 59
- Bluefish 53
10 kt NEH 10:07 AM · 7.3 ftL 4:20 PM · 1.0 ft
- Big Tom59
Bar · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 59
- Little tunny 57
- Bluefish 55
10 kt NEH 10:04 AM · 7.1 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.9 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.