Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Kent Point

37.73°N · 76.32°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

74/100Great
Now
566 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score56Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward NW
Wind12 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast84% chance of rain
Water79°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

Kent Point

Depth
2-15 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 Kent Point

Kent Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-15 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, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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.
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.
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

  • Ingram Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Spanish mackerel 67
    • Scup 66

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:29 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Natty Point Cove

    Bay · 2.0 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Spanish mackerel 67
    • Scup 66

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:29 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Hughlett Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:29 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Jarvis Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:29 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.