Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Kinnaird Point

39.33°N · 76.14°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel

80/100Great
Now
585 AM EDT
Best window
7-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score58Good
Tide1.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy47% cloud
Water78°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

Kinnaird Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Kinnaird Point

Kinnaird Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 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 red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout and striped 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

  • Still Pond

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 66
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    7 kt NNEL 10:10 AM · 1.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Beacon Bay

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Red drum 66
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    7 kt NNEL 10:10 AM · 1.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Meeks Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 62

    7 kt NNEL 10:10 AM · 1.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Plum Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 61

    7 kt NNEL 10:10 AM · 1.2 ftH 2:49 PM · 1.4 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.