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King mackerelShoulder seasonBar · Maryland
Ninefoot Knoll
39.14°N · 76.36°W · Bar · Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 476 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.2 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ninefoot Knoll 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
50Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
59Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.9 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Ninefoot Knoll
- Depth
- About 20 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Ninefoot Knoll
Ninefoot Knoll is a bar in Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD, Maryland. Depth is about 20 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, Spanish mackerel and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Brewerton Channel Eastern Extension66
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Spot 66
- Sheepshead 57
13 kt NEL 10:24 PM · 0.8 ftH 5:07 AM · 1.7 ft
- Craighill Angle65
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Sheepshead 62
- Scup 61
13 kt NEL 9:42 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:26 AM · 1.6 ft
- Sixfoot Knoll63
Bar · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Spanish mackerel 62
- Bluefish 60
13 kt NEL 9:42 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:26 AM · 1.6 ft
- Sevenfoot Knoll61
Bar · 2.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Scup 61
- Spanish mackerel 59
13 kt NEL 10:24 PM · 0.8 ftH 5:07 AM · 1.7 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.