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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 397 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Chapel Hill South 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
34Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
82Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 69°F, coolLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.5 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In 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
Chapel Hill South Channel
- Depth
- 20-40 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- 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 Chapel Hill South Channel
Chapel Hill South Channel is a channel in New York Harbor. Depth is 20-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
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
- Chapel Hill North Channel69
Channel · 2.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 68
- Sheepshead 59
11 kt NEL 11:52 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:15 PM · 5.2 ft
- Lower Bay66
Bay · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Spot 64
- Little tunny 59
11 kt NEL 11:52 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:15 PM · 5.2 ft
- Fourteen Foot Channel66
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Spot 65
- Little tunny 60
11 kt NEL 11:52 AM · 1.0 ftH 6:15 PM · 5.2 ft
- Craven Shoal61
Bar · 2.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 61
- Little tunny 60
- Bluefish 57
11 kt NEL 12:16 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:14 PM · 5.2 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.