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 · 12 AM · King mackerel

71/100Great
Now
515 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.8 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
Score58Good
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward SW
Wind3 kn Ngusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 2 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy32% cloud
Water69°FModel

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 spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Tide Mill Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 68
    • Sheepshead 65

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

  • Navy Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Red drum 63

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

  • Bennett Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 68
    • Red drum 64

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

  • Seth Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 63

    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.