Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Bay · Maryland

Coxes Bay

38.94°N · 76.31°W · Bay · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 5 PM · Spanish mackerel

79/100Great
Now
639 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score63Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind12 kn Egusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 2 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water77°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

Coxes Bay

Depth
4-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Coxes Bay

Coxes Bay is a bay in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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

  • Crab Alley Bay

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 65
    • Red drum 64

    12 kt EH 2:43 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:56 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Brickhouse Bar

    Bar · 3.7 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Spanish mackerel 68
    • Summer flounder 66

    11 kt EH 2:54 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:30 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Normans Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 60

    12 kt EH 2:43 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:56 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Narrow Point

    Cape · 3.6 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 60

    12 kt EH 2:43 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:56 AM · 1.0 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.