Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Bay · New York

Majors Harbor

41.04°N · 72.28°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Bluefish

72/100Great
Now
5610 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score76Great
Tide2.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward N
Wind3 kn SSWgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 8 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy79% cloud
Water65°FModel

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

Majors Harbor

Depth
4-15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Majors Harbor

Majors Harbor is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 4-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
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

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Striped bass 59
    • Bluefish 57

    16 kt NEL 2:05 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:30 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Majors Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Striped bass 58
    • Bluefish 56

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

  • Mashomack Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Striped bass 58
    • Bluefish 56

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

  • Tyndal Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    58
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 58
    • Striped bass 57
    • 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.