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King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 511 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 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.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
63Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.1 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 69°F, coolLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.7 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
59Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NYSDEC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Orient Harbor
- Depth
- 15-20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- 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 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 little tunny, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and scup, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Browns Point67
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Striped bass 61
- Bluefish 59
10 kt NEL 1:55 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:11 PM · 2.8 ft
- Eagle Point67
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Striped bass 60
- Bluefish 58
10 kt NEL 1:55 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:11 PM · 2.8 ft
- Hay Beach Point62
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 62
- Black sea bass 54
- Bluefish 53
17 kt ENEL 2:07 PM · 0.7 ftH 8:40 PM · 2.8 ft
- Spring Pond58
Bay · 1.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 58
- Summer flounder 55
- Sheepshead 54
17 kt ENEL 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.