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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Cedar Straits
37.91°N · 75.89°W · Channel · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 2 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4410 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cedar Straits 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
Wednesday, Sep 23 · 11 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
62Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
71Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
69Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.8 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
38Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Cedar Straits
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · 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 Cedar Straits
Cedar Straits is a channel in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, weakfish, striped bass and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cedar Straits68
Channel · 0.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:52 AM · 1.6 ft
- Green Straits68
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:52 AM · 1.6 ft
- Green Straits68
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:52 AM · 1.6 ft
- Cedar Island Creek67
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:52 AM · 1.6 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.