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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
East Point
37.83°N · 75.98°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 3711 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when East 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 9 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 7 kt SEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & 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
East Point
- Depth
- 1-6 ftNearest water
- 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 East Point
East Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Mailboat Harbor65
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Scup 62
- Sheepshead 56
16 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ft
- Fishing Gut62
Bay · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Scup 60
- Red drum 54
16 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ft
- Tangier North Channel62
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 62
- Scup 61
- Atlantic croaker 53
16 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ft
- West Point56
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 56
- Scup 55
- Little tunny 54
16 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 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.