Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · New York

Upper Rocky Point

40.38°N · 73.99°W · Cape · New York Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic croaker

77/100Great
Now
307 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.1 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score30Fair
Tide4.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward N
Wind10 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateRough4.1 ft · 6 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in New York

Spot profile

Upper Rocky Point

Depth
2-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Rocky Point

Upper Rocky Point is a cape in New York Harbor. Depth in the nearest water is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Barley Point Reach

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Summer flounder 55
    • Little tunny 52

    10 kt NEL 1:44 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:17 AM · 3.2 ft

  • Highlands Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Summer flounder 62
    • Sheepshead 61

    10 kt NEL 12:13 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:21 AM · 4.0 ft

  • Haven Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Summer flounder 55
    • Little tunny 52

    10 kt NEL 1:44 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:17 AM · 3.2 ft

  • Barley Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 60
    • Striped bass 52

    10 kt NEL 1:44 AM · 0.5 ftH 7:17 AM · 3.2 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.