Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bar · New York

Robbins Island Rock

40.96°N · 72.47°W · Bar · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

73/100Great
Now
3911 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score39Fair
Tide2.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind19 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 4 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast91% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

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

King mackerel in New York

Spot profile

Robbins Island Rock

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Robbins Island Rock

Robbins Island Rock is a bar in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and tautog. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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

  • South Race

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Scup 58
    • Sheepshead 52

    19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 2.7 ft

  • North Race

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 57
    • Sheepshead 51

    19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 2.7 ft

  • Rodger Rock

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    45
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 45
    • Black sea bass 44
    • Striped bass 38

    19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 2.7 ft

  • Cow Neck Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    45
    Top: Striped bassShoulder season
    • Striped bass 45
    • Bluefish 43
    • Black sea bass 36

    19 kt NEL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:18 AM · 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.