Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.85°N · 75.69°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
4611 AM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score46Good
Tide1.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind8 kn NEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy29% cloud
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

Sandy Point

Depth
4-9 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 4-9 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 red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and cobia. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
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

  • Cedar Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 66
    • Scup 61

    8 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ft

  • Annis Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Scup 57

    8 kt NEL 3:35 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:31 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Ebb Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 62
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ft

  • Flood Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 62
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:23 PM · 2.5 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.