Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · New York

Cow Neck Point

40.95°N · 72.44°W · Cape · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Bluefish

66/100Great
Now
465 PM EDT
Best window
6-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score46Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind19 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateRough5.1 ft · 6 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Bluefish in New York

Spot profile

Cow Neck Point

Depth
4-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 Cow Neck Point

Cow Neck Point is a cape in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and summer flounder, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.
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

  • Robbins Island Rock

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Black sea bass 59
    • Little tunny 59

    19 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • South Race

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Spot 61
    • Sheepshead 59

    19 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • North Race

    Channel · 3.1 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Spot 60
    • Sheepshead 58

    19 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Rodger Rock

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    51
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 51
    • Bluefish 47
    • King mackerel 44

    19 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 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.