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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · Maryland
Sparrows Point Channel
39.20°N · 76.48°W · Channel · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4012 PM EDT
- Best window
- 4-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sparrows Point Channel scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Wednesday, Sep 30 · 6 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
77Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
90Wind: 2 kt SPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 69°F, coolLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
34Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Sparrows Point Channel
- Depth
- 15-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Sparrows Point Channel
Sparrows Point Channel is a channel in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 15-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and summer flounder. It is peak season now for scup, spot, summer flounder and red drum, and shoulder season for weakfish, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Summer flounder peak from June 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.
- 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
- Penwood Channel60
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 60
- Spot 58
- Summer flounder 55
13 kt ENEH 4:35 PM · 1.2 ftL 10:24 PM · 0.8 ft
- Brewerton Angle58
Bend · 1.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 58
- Spot 57
- Summer flounder 54
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Marine Channel58
Channel · 1.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 58
- Spot 57
- Summer flounder 54
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Sparrows Point54
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 54
- Scup 53
- Spot 50
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 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.