Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Deepwater Point

38.80°N · 76.21°W · Cape · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

72/100Great
Now
488 AM EDT
Best window
4-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score59Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward NNE
Wind11 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water73°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

King mackerel in Maryland

Spot profile

Deepwater Point

Depth
1-40 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Deepwater Point

Deepwater Point is a cape in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is 1-40 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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
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

  • Tide Mill Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    13 kt ENEL 9:17 AM · 1.0 ftH 2:11 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Navy Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 62
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    13 kt ENEL 9:17 AM · 1.0 ftH 2:11 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Bennett Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 61
    • Spanish mackerel 60

    13 kt ENEL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:57 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Seth Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spanish mackerel 60
    • Spot 60

    13 kt ENEL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:57 PM · 1.3 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.