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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonCape · New Jersey
Dunks Point
39.36°N · 75.39°W · Cape · Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 6110 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-2 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing4.8 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Dunks 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
59Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
69Wind: 11 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
68Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish mackerel is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NJFW before you keep a fish.
Source: NJFW · synced yesterday
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spanish mackerel is best here
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Dunks Point
- Depth
- 3-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpanish 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 Dunks Point
Dunks Point is a cape in Delaware Bay waters north of East Point NJ to Slaughter Beach DE, New Jersey. Depth is 3-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Oyster Cove79
Bay · 1.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 79
- Scup 78
- Little tunny 72
11 kt NNEL 3:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:23 PM · 5.3 ft
- Arnold Point Shoal75
Bar · 2.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Spanish mackerel 73
- Spot 71
11 kt NNEL 2:34 PM · 0.8 ftH 8:38 PM · 6.7 ft
- Cut Through74
Channel · 2.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 74
- Scup 72
- Sheepshead 66
11 kt NNEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 ft
- Dunks Bar68
Bar · 0.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Spot 68
- Scup 67
11 kt NNEL 2:50 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:03 PM · 5.9 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 NJFW before you keep a fish.
