Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Seth Point

38.84°N · 76.26°W · Cape · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 6 AM · King mackerel

73/100Great
Now
444 PM 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

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score62Good
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward NNE
Wind3 kn Ngusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 2 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy32% cloud
Water70°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 today

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

Seth Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
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 Seth Point

Seth Point is a cape in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 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, bluefish and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Scup peak from June 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.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Bennett Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spot 56
    • Bluefish 55

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

  • Wades Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Bluefish 55
    • Scup 55

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

  • Wells Cove

    Bay · 2.1 mi

    61
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 61
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spot 59

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

  • Eastern Bay

    Bay · 3.5 mi

    60
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 60
    • Little tunny 58
    • Sheepshead 57

    15 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.