Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · New York

Congdons Creek

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

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

75/100Great
Now
4910 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score49Good
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind16 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy84% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in New York

Spot profile

Congdons Creek

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 scup, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for scup, spot, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Coecles Harbor

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 62
    • Sheepshead 60

    16 kt NEL 2:41 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Cedar Island Cove

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    61
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 61
    • Spot 61
    • Bluefish 56

    16 kt NEL 2:41 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Congdons Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Striped bass 57
    • Bluefish 56

    16 kt NEL 2:41 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Smith Cove

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Spot 59
    • Bluefish 56

    16 kt NEL 2:42 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:57 AM · 2.6 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.