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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBay · New York
Turtle Cove
40.86°N · 73.81°W · Bay · Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 5611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing6.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Turtle 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
33Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
82Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.9 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Turtle Cove
- Depth
- 4-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Turtle Cove
Turtle Cove is a bay in Long Island Sound West of New Haven CT/Port Jefferson NY, New York. Depth is 4-10 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 bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Middle Rock74
Bar · 0.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 74
- Little tunny 63
- Spot 63
11 kt NEL 4:02 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:59 PM · 7.6 ft
- Pelham Bay69
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 67
- Little tunny 61
11 kt NEL 4:02 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:59 PM · 7.6 ft
- Cuban Ledge63
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 63
- Black sea bass 52
- Little tunny 52
11 kt NEL 4:31 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:16 PM · 7.4 ft
- Eastchester Bay60
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 60
- Little tunny 51
- Bluefish 49
11 kt NEL 4:31 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:16 PM · 7.4 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.