Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Winbos Point

39.39°N · 76.36°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD

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Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

74/100Great
Now
502 AM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score57Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward NE
Wind8 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherMostly cloudy72% cloud
Water72°FBias corrected

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 yesterday

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

Winbos Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Winbos Point

Winbos Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD, Maryland. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and black sea bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October.

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.
Spot
Spot school over mud and sand in bays, tidal creeks and channels and around piers and bridges, generally in less than 25 feet of water. Fish a two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and bits of bloodworm or shrimp, and move until you find a school. In fall the biggest fish run out of the sounds past piers and inlets, and the bite can go all day.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cunninghill Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 69
    • Red drum 65

    13 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Sims Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Hog Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Oliver Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 63

    13 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 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.