Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · New York

Barley Point

40.38°N · 73.99°W · Cape · New York Harbor

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Bluefish

76/100Great
Now
648 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score64Good
Tide2.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.4 kn · toward N
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.1 ft · 6 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast47% chance of rain
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Bluefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Bluefish in New York

Spot profile

Barley Point

Depth
3-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 Barley Point

Barley Point is a cape in New York Harbor. Depth is 3-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, bluefish and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, Spanish mackerel and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, king mackerel and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Scup peak from June through October.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Upper Rocky Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    76
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 76
    • Bluefish 68
    • Striped bass 67

    8 kt NNEL 11:36 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:48 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Highlands Reach

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    71
    Top: Summer flounderPeak season
    • Summer flounder 71
    • Little tunny 68
    • Red drum 68

    8 kt NNEL 11:36 AM · 1.1 ftH 5:48 PM · 4.4 ft

  • Barley Point Reach

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 67
    • Summer flounder 67

    8 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:44 PM · 3.5 ft

  • Haven Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 67
    • Summer flounder 67

    8 kt NNEL 1:07 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:44 PM · 3.5 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.