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King mackerelShoulder seasonGut · Virginia
Rock Gut
37.86°N · 75.67°W · Gut · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 496 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rock Gut 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 · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
45Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.4 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: 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 today
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
Rock Gut
- Depth
- 2-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Rock Gut
Rock Gut is a gut in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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
- Poulson Point66
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Spot 63
- Scup 62
18 kt NEH 10:20 PM · 2.5 ftL 5:09 AM · 0.7 ft
- Sandy Point66
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Scup 62
- Spot 61
18 kt NEH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ftL 5:05 AM · 0.7 ft
- Brewer Gut66
Gut · 1.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Spot 66
- Sheepshead 63
18 kt NEH 10:20 PM · 2.5 ftL 5:09 AM · 0.7 ft
- Annis Point65
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Scup 61
- Spot 60
18 kt NEH 10:20 PM · 2.5 ftL 5:09 AM · 0.7 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.