Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Bush Point

39.46°N · 76.24°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
495 AM EDT
Best window
3 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score49Good
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NW
Wind10 kn NEgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp55°Mild
WeatherOvercast53% chance of rain
Water74°FObserved

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

Bush Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
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 Bush Point

Bush Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

  • Sewells Bar

    Bar · 0.1 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 66

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

  • Fairview Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

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

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

  • Pond Point

    Cape · 5.2 mi

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

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

  • Fairview Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 64

    10 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.