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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · New York
Snakehill Channel
40.66°N · 73.24°W · Channel · South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 4 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 396 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Snakehill 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
86Tide: FloodingCurrent: 2.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
69Wind: 11 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
32Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.1 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
39Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for King mackerel 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 King mackerel is best here
Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Snakehill Channel
- Depth
- 2-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonKing mackerel
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 Snakehill Channel
Snakehill Channel is a channel in South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay, New York. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are summer flounder, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for summer flounder, little tunny, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Summer flounder peak from June through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.
Tackle & technique
- King mackerel
- Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.
- Summer flounder
- Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
- 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
- Dickerson Channel62
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Summer flounderPeak season- Summer flounder 62
- Little tunny 59
- Striped bass 59
11 kt NEH 8:29 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:58 AM · 0.1 ft
- West Channel62
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Summer flounderPeak season- Summer flounder 62
- Little tunny 59
- Striped bass 59
11 kt NEH 8:29 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:58 AM · 0.1 ft
- Whig Inlet30
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
11 kt NEL 12:44 AM · 0.5 ftH 6:39 AM · 2.1 ft
- Farm Shoals30
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
11 kt NEH 7:05 PM · 0.8 ftL 2:02 AM · 0.1 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.
