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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Gates Channel
37.59°N · 75.66°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
- 5710 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.0 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gates 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
90Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
53Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 70°F, coolLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.3 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
53Season: 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 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
Gates Channel
- Depth
- Under 1 ftNearest water
- 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 Gates Channel
Gates Channel is a channel in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 20 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 black sea bass, bluefish, weakfish and striped bass. 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
- Bulls Head70
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Red drum 66
- Striped bass 63
16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft
- Black Rock Reach56
Channel · 0.9 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 56
- Bluefish 54
- Striped bass 52
16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft
- Bradford Channel56
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 56
- Bluefish 54
- Striped bass 52
16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft
- Sandy Point54
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 54
- Striped bass 54
- Black sea bass 51
16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 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.