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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Maryland
Indian Queen Point
38.75°N · 77.03°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 373 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6-9 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.9 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Indian Queen 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
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.9 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 10 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
85Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
39Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
Indian Queen Point
- Depth
- 3-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Indian Queen Point
Indian Queen Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Key Bridge to Indian Head MD, Maryland. Depth is 3-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and scup. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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.
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Stump Neck69
Cape · 18 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Red drum 61
- Atlantic croaker 59
6 kt NNEL 7:46 AM · 0.6 ftH 2:28 PM · 1.3 ft
- Sheridan Point68
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Atlantic croaker 57
- Scup 56
6 kt NNEL 8:55 AM · 0.9 ftH 3:30 PM · 2.1 ft
- Chapmans Point68
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Atlantic croaker 56
- Scup 55
6 kt NNEL 8:55 AM · 0.9 ftH 3:30 PM · 2.1 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.