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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonBay · Virginia
Drum Bay
37.90°N · 75.74°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 698 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8-11 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Drum 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 · 8 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
66Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
88Wind: 10 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
82Season: PeakHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: 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 yesterday
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
Drum Bay
- Depth
- 2-6 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Drum Bay
Drum Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, weakfish, bluefish and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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
- Back Cove75
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Scup 72
- Spanish mackerel 69
10 kt ENEH 9:34 AM · 2.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ft
- Long Point71
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 70
- Scup 67
10 kt ENEH 9:34 AM · 2.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ft
- Scarborough Point71
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 70
- Scup 67
10 kt ENEH 9:34 AM · 2.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ft
- North Point71
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 71
- Spot 70
- Scup 67
10 kt ENEH 9:34 AM · 2.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 1.0 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.