Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Factory Point

37.76°N · 75.77°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel

76/100Great
Now
474 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score47Good
Tide1.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy43% cloud
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When King mackerel is best here

Shoulder season for King mackerel · 1 more week at shoulder

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

King mackerel in Virginia

Spot profile

Factory Point

Depth
Up to 2 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Factory Point

Factory Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Custis Cove

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Red drum 60

    11 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Island Bay

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 58

    11 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Rainy Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Little tunny 57
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    11 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Custis Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Little tunny 57
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    11 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 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.