Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

King mackerelShoulder season

Bar · New York

Turkey Rock

40.94°N · 73.71°W · Bar · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 PM · King mackerel

79/100Great
Now
611 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.1 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Turkey Rock scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score61Good
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

Turkey Rock

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Turkey Rock

Turkey Rock is a bar in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Mamaroneck Harbor

    Bay · 0.4 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

  • Pops Rocks

    Bar · 0.3 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

  • 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

  • Ship Rock

    Bar · 0.5 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.