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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
South Point
37.89°N · 75.70°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 492 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when South 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 · 2 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
55Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 13 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: 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
South Point
- Depth
- 2-7 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 South Point
South Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-7 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 sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
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 Gut72
Gut · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 72
- Red drum 68
- Sheepshead 67
13 kt ENEL 4:30 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:20 PM · 2.5 ft
- Drum Point68
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Spot 65
- Bluefish 60
13 kt ENEL 4:08 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:19 PM · 2.5 ft
- North Point67
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Spot 63
- Sheepshead 59
13 kt ENEL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ft
- Scarborough Point67
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 67
- Spot 63
- Sheepshead 59
13 kt ENEL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:58 PM · 2.6 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.