Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Bar · New York

West Bank

40.58°N · 74.05°W · Bar · New York Harbor

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Best score today · 9 AM · Scup

77/100Great
Now
706 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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score70Great
Tide4.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NNE
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak

Scup season by week of the year. Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Scup in New York

Spot profile

West Bank

Depth
7-25 ftSlope
Structure
Bank · Inner · Semi-exposedBank · slope
Season
Peak seasonScup

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 West Bank

West Bank is a bar in New York Harbor. Depth is 7-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bank, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

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.
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 · 2.2 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

  • Vandeventers Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 68

    10 kt ENEL 12:08 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:09 AM · 4.3 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

  • Chapel Hill North Channel

    Channel · 2.8 mi

    71
    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

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.