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SpotPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Spot
- Now
- 306 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Craven Shoal 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 10 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NYSDEC before you keep a fish.
Source: NYSDEC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Craven Shoal
- Depth
- About 20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Craven Shoal
Craven Shoal is a bar in New York Harbor. Depth is about 20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Chapel Hill North Channel71
Channel · 2.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 71
- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 59
10 kt ENEL 11:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:00 AM · 4.5 ft
- Lower Bay68
Bay · 2.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 68
- Spot 65
- Little tunny 58
10 kt ENEL 11:42 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:00 AM · 4.5 ft
- Raritan Bay66
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Little tunny 56
- Bluefish 52
10 kt ENEL 12:01 AM · 0.7 ftH 5:59 AM · 4.7 ft
- Old Orchard Shoal63
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 63
- Little tunny 59
- Bluefish 56
10 kt ENEL 12:01 AM · 0.7 ftH 5:59 AM · 4.7 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.