UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Little tunnyPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Little tunny
- Now
- 484 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Stirling Basin scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Monday, Oct 5 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
79Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt WNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
100Water temp: 66°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Little tunny
Species seasonality
88Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Little tunny is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NYSDEC before you keep a fish.
Source: NYSDEC · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Little tunny is best here
Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Stirling Basin
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonLittle tunny
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 Stirling Basin
Stirling Basin is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Little tunny
- Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
- 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
- Greenport Harbor56
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 56
- Spot 56
- Sheepshead 53
18 kt NEH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:57 PM · 0.6 ft
- Hay Beach Point56
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 56
- Little tunny 51
- Black sea bass 50
18 kt NEH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:57 PM · 0.6 ft
- Dering Harbor56
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 56
- Scup 55
- Sheepshead 53
18 kt NEH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:57 PM · 0.6 ft
- Spring Pond54
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 54
- Spot 53
- Bluefish 49
18 kt NEH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:57 PM · 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.