Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Channel · New York

Snakehill Channel

40.66°N · 73.24°W · Channel · South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay

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Best score today · 4 AM · King mackerel

66/100Great
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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score39Fair
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood2.2 kn · toward E
Wind11 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateRough5.1 ft · 7 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy76% cloud
Water66°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

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

King mackerel in New York

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 Channel

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    62
    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 Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    62
    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 Inlet

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    30
    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 Shoals

    Bar · 2.0 mi

    30
    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.