Waterlands

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Spanish mackerelPeak season

Cape · Virginia

North End Point

37.94°N · 75.71°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel

74/100Great
Now
597 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 6 PM

Time6P
Score64Good
Tide2.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward NE
Wind5 kn SSEgusts 14 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water71°FPersisted

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.

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

North End Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
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 North End Point

North End Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth 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, spot and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October.

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.
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

  • North Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 65

    14 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Robin Hood Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Red drum 66

    14 kt NEH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Pig Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 62

    14 kt NEH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:54 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Persimmon Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 62

    14 kt NEH 10:38 PM · 2.7 ftL 5:34 AM · 0.8 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.