Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Richland Point

38.25°N · 76.17°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 2 AM · King mackerel

69/100Great
Now
444 PM EDT
Best window
7-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score44Fair
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SSE
Wind15 kn ENEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast74% chance of rain
Water74°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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.

Source: Maryland DNR · 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

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 Maryland

Spot profile

Richland Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Richland Point

Richland Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Dicks Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 56
    • Spot 56

    15 kt ENEL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:15 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Muddy Hook Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 61
    • Sheepshead 60

    15 kt ENEL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:15 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Richland Cove

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Spot 59
    • Sheepshead 58

    15 kt ENEL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:15 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Cow Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Red drum 58
    • Bluefish 55

    15 kt ENEL 5:41 PM · 1.1 ftH 12:15 AM · 2.4 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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.