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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Cockrell Point
37.82°N · 76.29°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 439 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cockrell 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
83Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 4 kt NPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
30Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: 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
Cockrell Point
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Cockrell Point
Cockrell Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 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, scup and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak 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
- Fleeton Point60
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Scup 55
- Little tunny 53
13 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ft
- Bussel Point60
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Scup 58
- Little tunny 56
13 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ft
- Reeds Point60
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Scup 55
- Little tunny 53
13 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ft
- Haynie Point60
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Scup 58
- Little tunny 56
13 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 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.