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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 · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 548 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-10 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 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
Wednesday, Sep 23 · 10 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
87Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
85Water temp: 74°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: 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 yesterday
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, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July 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.
- 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.
- 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 Bay73
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Little tunny 67
- Sheepshead 67
13 kt ENEL 11:25 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ft
- Stonehouse Cove73
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Little tunny 67
- Sheepshead 67
13 kt ENEL 11:21 AM · 0.7 ftH 4:20 PM · 1.3 ft
- Ferry Point71
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 67
- Sheepshead 63
13 kt ENEL 11:25 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ft
- Fishing Point Shoal68
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Spanish mackerel 68
- Spot 67
13 kt ENEL 11:25 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:23 PM · 1.4 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.