Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Turkey Point

39.45°N · 76.01°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 10 AM · Spanish mackerel

78/100Great
Now
603 PM EDT
Best window
4 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding0.8 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 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score60Good
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast87% chance of rain
Water76°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

Turkey Point

Depth
4-15 ftNearest water
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 Turkey Point

Turkey Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 4-15 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 scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
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

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 63

    11 kt NEH 7:22 PM · 1.4 ftL 12:45 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Greenbush Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 63

    11 kt NEH 7:41 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:33 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 63

    11 kt NEH 7:41 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:33 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Arnold Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 63

    11 kt NEH 7:41 PM · 2.2 ftL 1:33 AM · 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.