Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spanish mackerelPeak season

Bar · New York

West Bank

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel

77/100Great
Now
625 PM EDT
Best window
5-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding4.8 ft ▲

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

Notify me when West Bank scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score62Good
Tide4.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward NNE
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 5 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak

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

Spanish mackerel in New York

Spot profile

West Bank

Depth
7-25 ftSlope
Structure
Bank · Inner · Semi-exposedBank · slope
Season
Peak seasonSpanish 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 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 summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Hendricks Reef

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    77
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 77
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 66

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

  • Vandeventers Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    76
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 76
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spot 67

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

  • Gravesend Bay

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    74
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 74
    • Spot 73
    • Spanish mackerel 65

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

  • Chapel Hill North Channel

    Channel · 2.8 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Spot 68
    • Summer flounder 62

    9 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.