Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Bowdoin Point

39.00°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel

73/100Great
Now
5710 AM EDT
Best window
2-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score57Good
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind15 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast95% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Maryland

Spot profile

Bowdoin Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpanish 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 Bowdoin Point

Bowdoin Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 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, black sea bass, king mackerel and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Whitehall Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 62
    • Spanish mackerel 61

    15 kt NEH 2:32 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Mill Creek

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Spot 62
    • Red drum 61

    15 kt NEH 2:32 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Whitehall Flats

    Flat · 0.6 mi

    63
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 63
    • Scup 60
    • Summer flounder 60

    15 kt NEH 2:32 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:36 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Possum Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Scup 58
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    15 kt NEH 2:32 PM · 1.3 ftL 8:36 PM · 0.6 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.