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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 585 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-9 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding3.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Buttermilk Channel 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
93Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
60Water temp: 72°F, coolLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.9 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Buttermilk Channel
- Depth
- 35-50 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonSpanish 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 Buttermilk Channel
Buttermilk Channel is a channel in New York Harbor. Depth is 35-50 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and red drum, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Red Hook Channel75
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Scup 72
- Red drum 67
8 kt NEH 6:20 AM · 4.6 ftL 12:28 PM · 1.0 ft
- Dimond Reef74
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 74
- Red drum 73
- Little tunny 70
8 kt NEH 6:38 AM · 4.5 ftL 12:40 PM · 1.0 ft
- Gowanus Bay74
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 74
- Scup 72
- Red drum 66
8 kt NEH 6:20 AM · 4.6 ftL 12:28 PM · 1.0 ft
- Gowanus Flats70
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Spot 69
- Scup 67
8 kt NEH 6:20 AM · 4.6 ftL 12:28 PM · 1.0 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.