Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · New York

Town Creek

41.06°N · 72.42°W · Bay · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

58/100Good
Now
344 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score34Fair
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind21 kn NEgusts 30 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in New York

Spot profile

Town Creek

Depth
1-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · ProtectedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Town Creek

Town Creek is a bay in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are bluefish, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and black sea bass. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Harpers Point

    Cape · 0.1 mi

    42
    Top: Striped bassShoulder season
    • Striped bass 42
    • Bluefish 41
    • Little tunny 35

    21 kt NEH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ftL 3:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Goose Creek

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    42
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 42
    • Striped bass 36
    • Atlantic croaker 35

    21 kt NEH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ftL 3:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Corey Creek

    Bay · 1.7 mi

    42
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 42
    • Black sea bass 36
    • Striped bass 36

    21 kt NEH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ftL 3:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Southold Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    41
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 41
    • Striped bass 39
    • Little tunny 35

    21 kt NEH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ftL 3:34 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.