Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · New York

Congdons Creek

41.07°N · 72.31°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 5 AM · Atlantic croaker

72/100Great
Now
462 AM EDT
Best window
4-11 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.7 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score46Good
Tide0.7 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward NE
Wind11 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°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.

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

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

Congdons Creek

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
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 Congdons Creek

Congdons Creek is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
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.
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

  • Coecles Harbor

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Scup 59
    • Sheepshead 58

    11 kt NEH 8:32 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Cedar Island Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    58
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 58
    • Scup 57
    • Little tunny 53

    11 kt NEH 8:32 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Congdons Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Spot 53
    • Striped bass 53

    11 kt NEH 8:32 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Smith Cove

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    57
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 57
    • Scup 56
    • Little tunny 52

    11 kt NEH 8:23 AM · 2.4 ftL 2:09 PM · 0.7 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.