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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Sage Point
37.47°N · 76.27°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 429 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.4 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sage 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
93Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 4 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
88Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Sage Point
- Depth
- 1-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpanish 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 Sage Point
Sage Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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
- Winter Harbor65
Bay · 6.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Sheepshead 60
- Red drum 59
12 kt NEL 1:48 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:21 AM · 1.7 ft
- Wolf Trap60
Bar · 6.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 60
- Bluefish 58
- Little tunny 57
12 kt NEL 1:48 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:21 AM · 1.7 ft
- Stingray Point58
Cape · 6.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Scup 52
- Little tunny 46
12 kt NEL 3:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:59 AM · 1.3 ft
- Horn Harbor54
Bay · 7.8 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 54
- Bluefish 53
- King mackerel 52
16 kt NEL 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:06 AM · 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.