Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Channel · New York

South Race

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

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Best score today · 12 AM · Spanish mackerel

72/100Great
Now
536 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score53Good
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward WSW
Wind20 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak

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

Spanish mackerel in New York

Spot profile

South Race

Depth
15-20 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Peak seasonSpanish 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 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 summer flounder. It is peak season now for scup, spot, summer flounder and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, weakfish, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Summer flounder peak from June through September.

Tackle & technique

Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament 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

    67
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Black sea bass 62

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

  • North Race

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 63
    • Summer flounder 63

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

  • Cow Neck Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Striped bass 54
    • Scup 52

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

  • Rodger Rock

    Bar · 1.4 mi

    54
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 54
    • Bluefish 52
    • King mackerel 49

    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.