Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Possum Point

38.99°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 4 AM · Spanish mackerel

72/100Great
Now
603 AM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score60Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn NNEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy33% cloud
Water79°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

Possum Point

Depth
2-10 ftFlat bottom
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 Possum Point

Possum Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth 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 spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Mill Creek

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 70
    • Atlantic croaker 63

    10 kt NNEL 6:40 AM · 1.0 ftH 11:28 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Whitehall Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 67
    • Sheepshead 65

    10 kt NNEL 6:40 AM · 1.0 ftH 11:28 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Whitehall Flats

    Flat · 0.5 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Spot 69
    • Spotted seatrout 64

    10 kt NNEL 6:40 AM · 1.0 ftH 11:28 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Bowdoin Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 63

    10 kt NNEL 6:40 AM · 1.0 ftH 11:28 AM · 1.2 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.