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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Newhall Channel
37.26°N · 75.90°W · Channel · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · King mackerel
- 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
Notify me when Newhall Channel 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
44Tide: Low slackCurrent: 1.0 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
27Wind: 20 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
65Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 4.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
38Season: 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · 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
Newhall 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 Newhall Channel
Newhall 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
- Narrow Channel38
Channel · 1.0 mi
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 Channel35
Channel · 0.3 mi
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 Bay35
Bay · 0.6 mi
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
- Mockhorn Channel35
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 35
- Sheepshead 35
- Summer flounder 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.
