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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonChannel · New York
Big Channel
40.60°N · 73.87°W · Channel · South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 555 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding5.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Big Channel 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.6 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
52Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.8 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: NYSDEC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Big Channel
- Depth
- 3-20 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- 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 Big Channel
Big Channel is a channel in South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay, New York. Depth is 3-20 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 black sea bass, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Summer flounder peak from June through September.
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.
- 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
- Stony Point67
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Bluefish 59
- Scup 59
11 kt NEH 6:27 PM · 5.7 ftL 1:02 AM · 0.4 ft
- Big Fishkill Channel65
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 65
- Spot 64
- Summer flounder 63
11 kt NEH 6:46 PM · 5.7 ftL 12:48 AM · 0.6 ft
- Island Channel62
Channel · 0.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 62
- Spot 61
- Summer flounder 60
12 kt ENEH 6:46 PM · 5.7 ftL 12:48 AM · 0.6 ft
- Long Pol Bar61
Bar · 0.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Bluefish 58
- Spanish mackerel 58
12 kt ENEH 6:46 PM · 5.7 ftL 12:48 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.