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CobiaShoulder seasonChannel · New York
West Channel
40.67°N · 73.22°W · Channel · South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Cobia
- Now
- 305 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when West 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
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
40Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
22Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 66°F, coldLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 5.1 ftSeason & habitat · Cobia
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Cobia 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 Cobia is best here
Shoulder season for Cobia · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
West Channel
- Depth
- 5-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonCobia
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 Channel
West Channel is a channel in South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay, New York. Depth is 5-15 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 tautog. Summer flounder peak from June through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.
Tackle & technique
- Cobia
- Cobia cruise inlets, beaches, buoys, wrecks and the backs of rays in 5 to 100 feet of water. On calm, sunny days sight-cast bucktails or live eels to fish near the surface. Otherwise anchor up-current of structure, chum, and fish live eels, crabs or menhaden near the bottom.
- 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 Channel61
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Summer flounderPeak season- Summer flounder 61
- Little tunny 58
- Scup 58
12 kt NEH 8:29 PM · 0.7 ftL 2:58 AM · 0.1 ft
- Snakehill Channel61
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: Summer flounderPeak season- Summer flounder 61
- Little tunny 58
- Scup 58
12 kt NEH 7:05 PM · 0.8 ftL 2:02 AM · 0.1 ft
- Whig Inlet30
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
12 kt NEH 6:22 PM · 2.3 ftL 12:44 AM · 0.5 ft
- Farm Shoals30
Bar · 2.3 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
12 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.