Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · New York

Parsonage Cove

40.63°N · 73.62°W · Bay · South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass

67/100Great
Now
519 AM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score51Good
Tide2.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateRough5.0 ft · 7 s
Air temp58°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% cloud
Water67°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

Parsonage Cove

Depth
4-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Parsonage Cove

Parsonage Cove is a bay in South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay, New York. Depth is 4-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

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

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.
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.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead graze barnacles and crabs off pilings, jetty rocks, bridge supports, oyster bars and nearshore reefs, from a few feet deep out to about 50 feet. Drop a fiddler crab, sand flea or piece of shrimp on a small, strong hook straight down next to the structure with just enough weight to hold bottom. The bite is a light tap, so keep the line tight and set the hook fast.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Middle Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Summer flounder 63
    • Bluefish 62

    10 kt NEL 12:27 PM · 0.9 ftH 6:22 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Baldwin Bay

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 60
    • Summer flounder 60

    10 kt NEL 1:04 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:56 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Garrett Lead

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    59
    Top: SheepsheadPeak season
    • Sheepshead 59
    • Summer flounder 58
    • Black sea bass 57

    10 kt NEL 12:11 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:37 PM · 4.3 ft

  • Barnums Channel

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    59
    Top: SheepsheadPeak season
    • Sheepshead 59
    • Summer flounder 58
    • Black sea bass 57

    10 kt NEL 12:11 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:37 PM · 4.3 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.