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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Ware Neck Point
37.37°N · 76.41°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 5010 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Ware Neck 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 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
77Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
35Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
69Season: 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced today
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
Ware Neck Point
- Depth
- 3-8 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 Ware Neck Point
Ware Neck Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth is 3-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, sheepshead and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Ware River Point58
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
15 kt NEL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:12 AM · 2.5 ft
- Tow Stake Point58
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
15 kt NEL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:12 AM · 2.5 ft
- Seven Cedar Point58
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
15 kt NEL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:12 AM · 2.5 ft
- Bush Point58
Cape · 4.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
15 kt NEL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ftH 7:12 AM · 2.5 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.
