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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Bradford Channel
37.59°N · 75.64°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 309 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMNight bite
- Tide now
- Ebbing3.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bradford Channel 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
82Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
33Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
17Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 69°F, coolLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 6.8 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: 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
Last week of shoulder season for King mackerel · the off season next
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Bradford Channel
- Depth
- 1-8 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 Bradford Channel
Bradford Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are yellowfin tuna, Atlantic bluefin tuna and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for yellowfin tuna, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Yellowfin tuna peak from July through September. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
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.
- Yellowfin tuna
- Yellowfin feed in blue water along canyon edges, the shelf break, current edges, deepwater platforms and FADs, usually from the surface to about 300 feet. Troll ballyhoo, spreader bars and cedar plugs early in the day, then chunk butterfish or sardines, fish live hardtails, or drop jigs to marks. Around Gulf platforms and in the canyons the night bite on chunks and jigs is often better than the day.
- Atlantic bluefin tuna
- Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sandy Point38
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 38
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt NEL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:14 AM · 4.2 ft
- Big Thorofare38
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 38
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt NEL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:14 AM · 4.2 ft
- Black Rock Reach38
Channel · 0.8 mi
Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season- Yellowfin tuna 38
- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
18 kt NEL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:14 AM · 4.2 ft
- Big Wye Channel30
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
- Black sea bass 30
37 kt NEL 1:04 AM · 0.9 ftH 7:14 AM · 4.2 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.