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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 573 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-8 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding3.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Upper 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
72Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 9 kt NPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
80Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.0 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
50Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Upper Bay
- Depth
- 45-60 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Upper Bay
Upper Bay is a bay in New York Harbor. Depth is 45-60 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for weakfish, bluefish, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Bay Ridge Channel75
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Scup 70
- Red drum 69
9 kt NH 4:38 AM · 4.0 ftL 10:52 AM · 1.5 ft
- Red Hook Channel75
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Scup 70
- Red drum 68
9 kt NH 4:38 AM · 4.0 ftL 10:52 AM · 1.5 ft
- Gowanus Flats72
Bar · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 72
- Spot 69
- Little tunny 66
9 kt NH 4:38 AM · 4.0 ftL 10:52 AM · 1.5 ft
- Anchorage Channel68
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 68
- Spot 66
- Weakfish 65
9 kt NH 4:39 AM · 3.9 ftL 10:49 AM · 1.5 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.