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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 · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 393 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-8 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High2.5 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
16Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC
55Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: Partly cloudySolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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
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, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
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.
- 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
- Chapmans Point68
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 60
- Little tunny 58
6 kt NL 7:32 PM · 0.8 ftH 2:38 AM · 2.5 ft
- Stump Neck68
Cape · 18 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Little tunny 66
- Red drum 65
6 kt NL 6:23 PM · 0.6 ftH 1:36 AM · 1.6 ft
- Sheridan Point66
Cape · 3.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Scup 58
- Little tunny 57
6 kt NL 7:32 PM · 0.8 ftH 2:38 AM · 2.5 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.