Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Bay · New York

Napeague Harbor

41.01°N · 72.05°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

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Best score today · 3 AM · Spot

73/100Great
Now
638 AM EDT
Best window
3-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score63Good
Tide1.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward N
Wind20 kn NNEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast63% chance of rain
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in New York

Spot profile

Napeague Harbor

Depth
4-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 Napeague Harbor

Napeague Harbor is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 4-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, 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. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Cherry Harbor

    Bay · 6.6 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 59

    20 kt NNEL 12:46 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 2.7 ft

  • Lazy Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Striped bass 58
    • Bluefish 56

    20 kt NNEL 12:02 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:21 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Goff Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Striped bass 58
    • Bluefish 56

    20 kt NNEL 12:02 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:21 PM · 2.2 ft

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Scup 61
    • Spot 60

    20 kt NNEL 12:46 PM · 0.9 ftH 7:21 PM · 2.7 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.