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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 4112 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.8 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Lower Bay 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
32Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
48Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.3 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Lower Bay
- Depth
- 25-35 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Lower Bay
Lower Bay is a bay in New York Harbor. Depth is 25-35 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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
- Fourteen Foot Channel54
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 54
- Little tunny 52
- Scup 52
10 kt NEH 6:00 AM · 4.5 ftL 11:52 AM · 1.0 ft
- Chapel Hill North Channel51
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 51
- Striped bass 51
- Summer flounder 51
10 kt NEH 6:00 AM · 4.5 ftL 11:52 AM · 1.0 ft
- Chapel Hill South Channel51
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 51
- Spot 51
- Sheepshead 47
10 kt NEH 6:04 AM · 4.5 ftL 12:09 PM · 1.0 ft
- Craven Shoal46
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 46
- Little tunny 43
- Scup 41
10 kt NEH 5:59 AM · 4.7 ftL 12:16 PM · 0.9 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.