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King mackerelShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Revel Island Bay
37.51°N · 75.69°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 397 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Revel Island Bay 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 · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
53Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
51Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.7 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 yesterday
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
Revel Island Bay
- Depth
- About 1 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Revel Island Bay
Revel Island Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth is about 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, summer flounder and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- White Perch Cove61
Bay · 1.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 61
- Little tunny 50
- Bluefish 49
16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ft
- Sandy Island Channel61
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 61
- Summer flounder 51
- Little tunny 50
16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ft
- The Swash61
Gut · 1.4 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 61
- Summer flounder 51
- Little tunny 50
16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ft
- Barge Point58
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 58
- Scup 56
- Bluefish 49
16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 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.