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Best black sea bass lakes in New York

54 New York waters list black sea bass (official records or labelled estimates), 54 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The knothead of the wrecks — any hard structure in salt water holds a pile of them, and they bite all day.

1. Lower Bay — 104 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
2. Great Peconic Bay — 42 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
3. Smithtown Bay — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
4. Napeague Bay — 62 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
5. Bellport Bay — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Bluefish, WeakfishWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
6. South Oyster Bay — 34 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
7. Sloop Channel — 48 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites, 2 carry-in or shore-oriented
8. Hempstead Harbor — 38 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
9. Reynolds Channel — 67 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Huntington Bay — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Rockaway Inlet — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Beach Channel — 68 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Manhasset Bay — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Eastchester Bay — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
15. Coecles Harbor — 28 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Three Mile Harbor — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Bluefish, WeakfishWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. False Hook Channel — 33 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Port Jefferson Harbor — 51 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Lloyd Harbor — 28 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
20. Pierhead Channel — 56 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
21. Bay Ridge Channel — 51 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Lake Montauk — 14 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Bluefish, Black Sea BassWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Mamaroneck Harbor — 21 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Northwest Harbor — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. East Rockaway Inlet — 41 ft max · real survey depth contours · Striped Bass, Summer Flounder (Fluke), Winter Flounder, BluefishWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 29 more New York waters holding black sea bass.

Find the closest black sea bass waters to you →

When to fish black sea bass in New York

• Spring 10–40 ft — Spawners move inshore to rock piles, reefs and wrecks — a hi-lo rig with squid gets the knotheads.
• Summer 15–60 ft — Every piece of hard bottom holds fish — jig bucktails or drop bait; culling through shorts finds the humpheads.
• Fall 20–80 ft — Fish pile onto deeper structure staging to move offshore — the best size of the year on jigs.
• Winter 40–100 ft — Mostly wintered offshore; deep in-bay wrecks and channels hold a few for hardy bottom-bouncers.

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Black Sea Bass elsewhere: Massachusetts · Florida · Connecticut · New Jersey · Rhode Island