Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · New York

Reeves Bay

40.91°N · 72.62°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

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Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker

71/100Great
Now
529 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.8 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score52Good
Tide2.8 ftHigh
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward E
Wind16 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 5 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in New York

Spot profile

Reeves Bay

Depth
3-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Reeves Bay

Reeves Bay is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • Flanders Bay

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 64
    • Atlantic croaker 52

    16 kt ENEL 3:39 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:36 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Iron Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Spot 59
    • Little tunny 51

    16 kt ENEL 3:39 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:36 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Miamogue Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    57
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 57
    • Spot 57
    • Little tunny 49

    16 kt ENEL 3:39 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:36 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Browns Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    56
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 56
    • Spot 56
    • Little tunny 48

    16 kt ENEL 3:39 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:36 AM · 2.5 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.