Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Channel · Virginia

Narrow Channel

37.28°N · 75.90°W · Channel · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

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Best score today · 10 AM · King mackerel

53/100Good
Now
3312 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.7 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score33Fair
Tide0.7 ftLow
Current1.0 knmodeled · toward S
Wind20 kn NEgusts 31 · steady
Sea stateRough4.4 ft · 6 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast94% chance of rain
Water77°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 VMRC before you keep a fish.

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 Virginia

Spot profile

Narrow Channel

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Narrow Channel

Narrow Channel is a channel in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are black sea bass, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, king mackerel and striped bass. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September through October. 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.
Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Newhall Channel

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    38
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 38
    • Little tunny 35
    • Scup 35

    20 kt NEH 7:04 PM · 5.3 ftL 12:58 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Point of Rock Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Scup 35
    • Sheepshead 35

    20 kt NEH 7:04 PM · 5.3 ftL 12:58 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Mockhorn Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    35
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 35
    • Scup 35
    • Summer flounder 35

    20 kt NEH 7:04 PM · 5.3 ftL 12:58 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Oyster Slip

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    35
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 35
    • Scup 35
    • Sheepshead 35

    20 kt NEH 7:04 PM · 5.3 ftL 12:58 AM · 0.8 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.