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King mackerelShoulder seasonBay · New York
The Cove
40.87°N · 73.51°W · Bay · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 399 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding7.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when The Cove 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
45Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
78Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 65°F, coldLight: MorningSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
The Cove
- Depth
- 2-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- 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 The Cove
The Cove is a bay in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and weakfish. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Oyster Bay Harbor74
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 74
- Spot 74
- Sheepshead 64
10 kt NEL 3:57 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:59 PM · 7.6 ft
- Cold Spring Harbor74
Bay · 1.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 74
- Scup 73
- Sheepshead 66
10 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 7.1 ftL 4:13 PM · 0.9 ft
- Brickyard Point67
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Little tunny 66
- Spot 65
10 kt NEH 10:01 AM · 7.2 ftL 4:16 PM · 1.0 ft
- Weeks Point65
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 65
- Spot 64
- Little tunny 62
10 kt NEL 3:57 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:59 PM · 7.6 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.