Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Lawless Point

36.91°N · 76.32°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

76/100Great
Now
549 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score54Good
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward N
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% chance of rain
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

Lawless Point

Depth
2-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Lawless Point

Lawless Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Red drum 72
    • Summer flounder 70

    10 kt ENEL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Craney Island Flats

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Spot 69
    • Spanish mackerel 67

    10 kt ENEL 1:16 AM · 0.8 ftH 7:23 AM · 2.6 ft

  • Tanner Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 67
    • Red drum 65

    10 kt ENEL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ft

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 67

    10 kt ENEL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 AM · 2.8 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.