Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Virginia

East Point

37.83°N · 75.98°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spanish mackerel

66/100Great
Now
538 AM EDT
Best window
8-10 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score53Good
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NNE
Wind16 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast41% chance of rain
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Spanish mackerel season by week of the year. Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spanish mackerel in Virginia

Spot profile

East Point

Depth
1-6 ftNearest water
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 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 little tunny, scup and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

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.
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.
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

  • West Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 59
    • Striped bass 59

    16 kt NEH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:37 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Mailboat Harbor

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 66
    • Sheepshead 65

    16 kt NEH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:37 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Fishing Gut

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 62

    16 kt NEH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:37 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Tangier North Channel

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 64
    • Sheepshead 61

    16 kt NEH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:37 PM · 0.2 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.