Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · New York

West Neck Point

41.04°N · 72.35°W · Cape · Peconic and Gardiners Bays

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
4310 PM EDT
Best window
11 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

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score48Good
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward SW
Wind14 kn NNEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 5 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water65°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Atlantic croaker in New York

Spot profile

West Neck Point

Depth
4-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 West Neck Point

West Neck Point is a cape in Peconic and Gardiners Bays, New York. Depth in the nearest water is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, 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 red drum, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • West Neck Harbor

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 62
    • Sheepshead 51

    16 kt NEL 3:30 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:57 AM · 2.4 ft

  • 64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 63
    • Bluefish 54

    16 kt NEL 3:19 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:35 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Dickerson Creek

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    61
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 61
    • Spot 61
    • Red drum 57

    16 kt NEL 2:41 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:06 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Gleason Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    56
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 56
    • Scup 55
    • Little tunny 52

    16 kt NEL 3:30 AM · 0.5 ftH 9:57 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.