Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · New York

Dering Harbor

41.09°N · 72.35°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

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Best score today · 5 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
5410 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-2 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.2 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 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score54Good
Tide2.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind15 kn ENEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% 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

Dering Harbor

Depth
3-15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · slope
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 Dering Harbor

Dering Harbor is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 3-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

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.
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

  • Greenport Harbor

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 68
    • Sheepshead 67

    15 kt ENEL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:40 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Hay Beach Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Little tunny 66
    • Black sea bass 62

    15 kt ENEL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:40 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Chequit Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 61
    • Bluefish 59

    15 kt ENEL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:40 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Pipes Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 60

    18 kt NEL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:40 PM · 2.8 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.