Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Bar · Maryland

Sollers Point Shoal

39.22°N · 76.51°W · Bar · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spanish mackerel

74/100Great
Now
748 AM EDT
Best window
8-10 AMEbb 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

Saturday, Sep 26 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score72Great
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NW
Wind13 kn NNWgusts 22 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast34% chance of rain
Water72°FModel

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 yesterday

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

Sollers Point Shoal

Depth
7-15 ftSlope
Structure
Shoal · Inner · ProtectedShoal · slope
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 Sollers Point Shoal

Sollers Point Shoal is a bar in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 7-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are Spanish mackerel, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for Spanish mackerel, spot, little tunny and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak 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.
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

  • Marine Channel

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    79
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 79
    • Red drum 73
    • Summer flounder 73

    7 kt NNEL 10:49 AM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Sollers Point Flats

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 77
    • Spanish mackerel 74
    • Spot 72

    7 kt NNEL 10:49 AM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Sollers Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 68

    7 kt NNEL 10:49 AM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Lloyd Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    74
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 74
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 68

    7 kt NNEL 10:49 AM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 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.