Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Bennett Point

38.85°N · 76.21°W · Cape · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · Spanish mackerel

73/100Great
Now
575 PM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMDusk
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score67Great
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward NNE
Wind3 kn Ngusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy32% cloud
Water69°FModel

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

Bennett Point

Depth
2-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Bennett Point

Bennett Point is a cape in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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

  • Deepwater Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 61
    • Bluefish 58

    16 kt ENEL 8:18 PM · 0.8 ftH 2:43 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Tide Mill Cove

    Bay · 3.9 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Sheepshead 62

    16 kt ENEL 8:18 PM · 0.8 ftH 2:43 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Seth Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spot 58
    • Bluefish 57

    16 kt ENEL 7:52 PM · 0.8 ftH 2:29 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Wells Cove

    Bay · 4.0 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Sheepshead 61

    16 kt ENEL 7:52 PM · 0.8 ftH 2:29 AM · 1.7 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.