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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
- 488 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.8 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 7 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 69°F, coolLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
30Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: 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
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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel 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 Bay69
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Spanish mackerel 65
- Little tunny 63
10 kt EL 9:14 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:13 AM · 1.9 ft
- Stonehouse Cove68
Bay · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Spanish mackerel 65
- Red drum 63
10 kt EL 9:01 PM · 0.6 ftH 4:11 AM · 1.7 ft
- Ferry Point66
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Spot 64
- Spanish mackerel 60
10 kt EL 9:14 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:13 AM · 1.9 ft
- Fishing Point Shoal66
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 66
- Spot 64
- Little tunny 63
10 kt EL 9:14 PM · 0.7 ftH 4:13 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.