Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · New York

Vandeventers Point

40.60°N · 74.05°W · Cape · New York Harbor

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Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

82/100Great
Now
576 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing4.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score57Good
Tide4.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward NNW
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

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

King mackerel in New York

Spot profile

Vandeventers Point

Depth
10-70 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
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 Vandeventers Point

Vandeventers Point is a cape in New York Harbor. Depth is 10-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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

  • Hendricks Reef

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    78
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 78
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spot 68

    10 kt ENEL 12:06 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:06 AM · 4.5 ft

  • Gravesend Bay

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Spot 74
    • Little tunny 66

    10 kt ENEL 12:02 AM · 0.9 ftH 6:03 AM · 4.6 ft

  • The Narrows

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    73
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 73
    • Spanish mackerel 68
    • Spot 66

    8 kt NEL 12:08 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:09 AM · 4.3 ft

  • West Bank

    Bar · 1.7 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 64

    10 kt ENEL 12:06 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:06 AM · 4.5 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.