Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · New York

Orient Harbor

41.13°N · 72.31°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 PM · Black sea bass

84/100Great
Now
5412 AM EDT
Best window
5-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Orient Harbor scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score54Good
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward E
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy55% cloud
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in New York

Spot profile

Orient Harbor

Depth
15-20 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Orient Harbor

Orient Harbor is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a flat bottom. 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 Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Hay Beach Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 59
    • Little tunny 58

    11 kt NNEH 5:59 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:18 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Spring Pond

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 59

    11 kt NNEH 5:59 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:18 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Browns Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

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

    8 kt NNEH 5:23 AM · 2.0 ftL 11:11 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Eagle Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 58

    8 kt NNEH 5:23 AM · 2.0 ftL 11:11 AM · 0.9 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.