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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Sandy Point
37.81°N · 75.72°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4610 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7-10 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
58Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
53Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 70°F, coolLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.2 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
Sandy Point
- Depth
- 2-8 ftNearest water
- 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 Sandy Point
Sandy Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for scup, little tunny, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
- 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.
- 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
- The Thorofare69
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 69
- Spot 69
- Summer flounder 60
16 kt NEL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:55 PM · 2.7 ft
- Weir Point64
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Little tunny 62
- Spot 62
16 kt NEL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:55 PM · 2.7 ft
- Zare Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Spot 62
- Little tunny 61
16 kt NEL 5:16 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:55 PM · 2.7 ft
- Canoedas Point64
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Spot 62
- Little tunny 59
16 kt NEL 4:28 PM · 0.9 ftH 10:30 PM · 2.3 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.
