Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Bay · New York

Sag Harbor Bay

41.01°N · 72.28°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

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Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel

76/100Great
Now
449 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 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
Score44Fair
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% 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

Sag Harbor Bay

Depth
9-20 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · slope
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 Sag Harbor Bay

Sag Harbor Bay is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 9-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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

  • Northwest Harbor

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Scup 70
    • Sheepshead 66

    12 kt ENEL 2:00 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:23 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Majors Harbor

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Scup 70
    • Sheepshead 66

    12 kt ENEL 2:00 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:23 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Mashomack Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 63

    12 kt ENEL 2:00 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:23 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Majors Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 63

    12 kt ENEL 2:00 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:23 AM · 2.4 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.