Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spanish mackerelPeak season

Bay · Virginia

Revel Island Cove

37.49°N · 75.68°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel

61/100Good
Now
436 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.9 ft

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

Notify me when Revel Island Cove scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score43Fair
Tide3.9 ftHigh
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateRough4.8 ft · 7 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast38% chance of rain
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here

Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Virginia

Spot profile

Revel Island Cove

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Revel Island Cove

Revel Island Cove is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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.
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

  • Sandy Island Channel

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Summer flounder 45
    • Sheepshead 43

    16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ft

  • 59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Little tunny 46
    • Sheepshead 43

    16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ft

  • Sandy Island Bay

    Bay · 1.6 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Summer flounder 42
    • Little tunny 41

    16 kt NEL 12:07 PM · 0.6 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.7 ft

  • The Swash

    Gut · 1.6 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Summer flounder 45
    • Sheepshead 43

    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.