Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · New York

Goff Point

41.02°N · 72.06°W · Cape · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 3 AM · King mackerel

72/100Great
Now
3212 PM EDT
Best window
3-5 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.9 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score32Fair
Tide0.9 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind19 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 4 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water70°FObserved

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

Goff Point

Depth
3-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Goff Point

Goff Point is a cape in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth in the nearest water is 3-10 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    53
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 53
    • Bluefish 46
    • Striped bass 46

    19 kt NEL 12:46 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Cherry Harbor

    Bay · 5.8 mi

    52
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 52
    • Sheepshead 52
    • Spot 52

    19 kt NEL 12:46 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Napeague Harbor

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    49
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 49
    • Sheepshead 47
    • Spot 46

    19 kt NEH 6:21 PM · 2.2 ftL 12:47 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Lazy Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    48
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 48
    • Scup 44
    • Bluefish 41

    19 kt NEH 6:21 PM · 2.2 ftL 12:47 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.