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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Maryland
North Point
38.78°N · 76.37°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 5 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 5411 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when North Point 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 · 11 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 12 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
North Point
- Depth
- 2-7 ftFlat bottom
- 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 North Point
North Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-7 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, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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
- Poplar Island Narrows76
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Red drum 71
- Spanish mackerel 70
12 kt EH 1:48 AM · 1.7 ftL 8:18 AM · 0.8 ft
- Ferry Cove75
Bay · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Red drum 70
- Scup 68
12 kt EH 1:40 AM · 1.8 ftL 8:37 AM · 0.8 ft
- Valliant Point70
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Spot 70
- Red drum 66
12 kt EH 1:48 AM · 1.7 ftL 8:18 AM · 0.8 ft
- Punch Point70
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Little tunny 69
- Red drum 66
12 kt EH 1:40 AM · 1.8 ftL 8:37 AM · 0.8 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.