Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

BluefishShoulder season

Channel · New York

South Race

40.95°N · 72.45°W · Channel · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Bluefish

72/100Great
Now
478 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding2.5 ft ▲

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

Notify me when South Race 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 · 8 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score47Good
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind20 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.5 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Bluefish in New York

Spot profile

South Race

Depth
15-20 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 South Race

South Race is a channel in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 15-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and summer flounder, and shoulder season for black sea bass, striped bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Robbins Island Rock

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Black sea bass 57
    • Little tunny 57

    20 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • North Race

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    60
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 60
    • Spot 58
    • Sheepshead 57

    20 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Cow Neck Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    54
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 54
    • Scup 49
    • Striped bass 47

    20 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Rodger Rock

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    50
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 50
    • Bluefish 46
    • King mackerel 41

    20 kt NEH 9:53 PM · 2.9 ftL 3:57 AM · 0.6 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.