UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
King mackerelShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 463 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Swan Point Bar 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 · 3 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
70Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 13 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: 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 yesterday
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
Swan Point Bar
- Depth
- 5-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Swan Point Bar
Swan Point Bar is a bar in Chester River to Queenstown MD, Maryland. Depth is 5-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, weakfish and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
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.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Brewerton Channel Eastern Extension73
Channel · 5.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Scup 67
- Atlantic croaker 63
13 kt ENEH 4:25 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:23 AM · 0.9 ft
- Huntingfield Point69
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 64
- Little tunny 63
12 kt ENEH 4:15 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Swan Point67
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Little tunny 62
- Scup 61
13 kt ENEH 4:15 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Ninefoot Knoll67
Bar · 4.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 61
- Spanish mackerel 58
13 kt ENEH 4:15 AM · 1.7 ftL 11:15 AM · 0.9 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.