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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Poulson Point
37.86°N · 75.67°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 441 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.9 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Poulson 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 1 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
76Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
54Wind: 17 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
64Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
39Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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 yesterday
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
Poulson Point
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- 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 Poulson Point
Poulson Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and black sea bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.
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
- Rock Gut67
Gut · 0.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Red drum 62
- Weakfish 61
17 kt NEL 5:09 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:42 AM · 2.3 ft
- Brewer Gut66
Gut · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 66
- Sheepshead 61
- Red drum 60
17 kt NEL 5:09 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:42 AM · 2.3 ft
- Annis Point62
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 62
- Spot 60
- Bluefish 58
17 kt NEL 5:09 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:42 AM · 2.3 ft
- Sandy Point62
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 62
- Spot 60
- Bluefish 58
17 kt NEL 5:05 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:34 AM · 2.4 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.