Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

King mackerelShoulder season

Channel · Maryland

Kedges Straits

38.06°N · 76.02°W · Channel · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel

70/100Great
Now
488 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.7 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Kedges Straits scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score48Good
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward E
Wind14 kn NEgusts 29 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

King mackerel season by week of the year. Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

King mackerel in Maryland

Spot profile

Kedges Straits

Depth
8-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
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 Kedges Straits

Kedges Straits is a channel in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 8-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, summer flounder and spot. It is peak season now for scup, summer flounder, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for black sea bass, striped bass, weakfish and bluefish. Scup peak from June through October. Summer flounder peak from June through September. 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.
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.
Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Tangier Sound

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 62

    14 kt NEH 11:46 PM · 1.9 ftL 6:17 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Solomons Lump

    Bar · 0.9 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 61
    • Summer flounder 60

    14 kt NEH 11:46 PM · 1.9 ftL 6:17 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Musclehole Bar

    Bar · 1.1 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Red drum 63
    • Bluefish 61

    14 kt NEH 12:05 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Muscle Hole

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Red drum 63
    • Spot 62

    14 kt NEH 12:05 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 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.