Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Ferry Point

39.22°N · 76.58°W · Cape · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

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Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

71/100Great
Now
384 PM EDT
Best window
4-10 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Oct 5 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score35Fair
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward SE
Wind6 kn SSWgusts 12 · steady
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water70°FPersisted

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

Ferry Point

Depth
15-35 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Ferry Point

Ferry Point is a cape in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 15-35 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak 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.
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.
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

  • Curtis Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 67
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    13 kt NEL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:55 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Stonehouse Cove

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 59
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    13 kt NEL 10:08 PM · 0.6 ftH 4:52 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Walnut Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 55

    13 kt NEL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:55 AM · 1.9 ft

  • Fishing Point Shoal

    Bar · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 62
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 52

    13 kt NEL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:55 AM · 1.9 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.