Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · New York

Crab Creek Point

41.05°N · 72.37°W · Cape · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

77/100Great
Now
4911 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 23 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score53Good
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.4 kn · toward SE
Wind18 kn NEgusts 27 · building
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 4 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy83% cloud
Water68°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for King 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 King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

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

King mackerel in New York

Spot profile

Crab Creek Point

Depth
2-70 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonKing 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 Crab Creek Point

Crab Creek Point is a cape in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth in the nearest water is 2-70 ft, with a drop-off. 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, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, black sea bass, bluefish and weakfish. 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

King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
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

  • 65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 62
    • Red drum 61

    16 kt NEL 3:19 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Crab Creek

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 61
    • Scup 61

    16 kt NEL 3:19 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ft

  • West Neck Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 59
    • Sheepshead 59

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

  • West Neck Harbor

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 61
    • Striped bass 61

    16 kt NEL 3:30 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:57 AM · 2.4 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.