Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Robins Point

39.30°N · 76.28°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD

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Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
504 PM EDT
Best window
4-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.4 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
Score50Good
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NNE
Wind13 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% chance of rain
Water75°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

Robins Point

Depth
2-8 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 Robins Point

Robins Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 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, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, Spanish mackerel and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass 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

  • Ford Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Scup 63
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    13 kt NEH 6:42 PM · 1.1 ftL 12:17 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Rickett Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 63
    • Spot 62

    13 kt NEH 6:42 PM · 1.1 ftL 12:17 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Carroll Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 63
    • Spot 62

    13 kt NEH 6:42 PM · 1.1 ftL 12:17 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Spry Island Shoal

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 62
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    13 kt NEH 4:54 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:34 PM · 0.7 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.