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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Maryland
Walnut Point
39.21°N · 76.58°W · Cape · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4112 PM EDT
- Best window
- 2-10 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.8 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Walnut Point 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
59Wind: 13 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Walnut Point
- Depth
- 5-25 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 Walnut Point
Walnut Point is a cape in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 5-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Curtis Bay58
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 58
- Spot 56
- Spanish mackerel 53
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Stonehouse Cove56
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 56
- Spanish mackerel 53
- Red drum 52
13 kt ENEH 4:20 PM · 1.3 ftL 10:08 PM · 0.6 ft
- Ferry Point54
Cape · 0.6 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
- Fishing Point Shoal54
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 54
- Scup 53
- Little tunny 52
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.