Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Bar · Maryland

Brickhouse Bar

38.93°N · 76.38°W · Bar · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 12 AM · Spanish mackerel

70/100Great
Now
591 PM EDT
Best window
1-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score59Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind15 kn ENEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% chance of rain
Water75°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 today

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

Brickhouse Bar

Depth
10-40 ftSlope
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · slope
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 Brickhouse Bar

Brickhouse Bar is a bar in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 10-40 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, little tunny, scup and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, king mackerel and weakfish. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.

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

  • Coxes Bay

    Bay · 3.7 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spanish mackerel 66
    • Spot 66

    14 kt NEH 2:50 PM · 1.2 ftL 8:41 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Thomas Point Shoal

    Bar · 3.6 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Spot 58
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    15 kt ENEH 2:27 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Thomas Point

    Cape · 4.6 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Little tunny 58
    • Spot 58

    15 kt ENEH 2:27 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Tolly Point Shoal

    Bar · 3.5 mi

    58
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 58
    • Spanish mackerel 57
    • Spot 57

    15 kt ENEH 2:27 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:09 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.