Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bar · New York

Success Rock

40.86°N · 73.74°W · Bar · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

80/100Great
Now
514 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score51Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NE
Wind11 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy70% 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

Success Rock

Depth
20-45 ftSlope
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Success Rock

Success Rock is a bar in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 20-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and black sea bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, king mackerel and tautog. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Black sea bass peak from May through June 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

  • Sands Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Bluefish 53
    • Scup 52

    11 kt NEH 10:31 PM · 7.5 ftL 4:55 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Gangway Rock

    Bar · 0.2 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Scup 60
    • Black sea bass 56

    11 kt NEH 10:31 PM · 7.5 ftL 4:55 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Barker Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Bluefish 46
    • Striped bass 46

    11 kt NEH 10:31 PM · 7.5 ftL 4:55 AM · 0.7 ft

  • South Nonations

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    51
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 51
    • Bluefish 48
    • Scup 48

    11 kt NEH 9:59 PM · 7.6 ftL 4:20 AM · 0.6 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.