Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · New York

Winhole Point

40.61°N · 73.80°W · Cape · South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay

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Best score today · 11 PM · King mackerel

69/100Great
Now
397 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High5.8 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score39Fair
Tide5.8 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind9 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateRough4.6 ft · 8 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy82% cloud
Water71°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

Winhole Point

Depth
2-25 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
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 Winhole Point

Winhole Point is a cape in South Shore Bays from Jones Inlet through Shinnecock Bay, New York. Depth is 2-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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.
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

  • Winhole Channel

    Channel · 0.1 mi

    67
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 67
    • Sheepshead 51
    • Summer flounder 50

    9 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:12 AM · 5.5 ft

  • Hassock Creek

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 67
    • Sheepshead 51
    • Summer flounder 50

    9 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:12 AM · 5.5 ft

  • Jacks Hole Creek

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 67
    • Sheepshead 51
    • Summer flounder 50

    9 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:12 AM · 5.5 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    61
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 61
    • Little tunny 55
    • Bluefish 48

    9 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:12 AM · 5.5 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.