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King mackerelShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Port Norfolk Reach
36.86°N · 76.32°W · Channel · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · King mackerel
- Now
- 569 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Port Norfolk Reach 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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
51Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
87Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.3 ftSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
60Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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
Port Norfolk Reach
- Depth
- 10-50 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · drop-off
- 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 Port Norfolk Reach
Port Norfolk Reach is a channel in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 10-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, king mackerel and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. 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.
- 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
- Lambert Bend69
Bend · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 66
- Black sea bass 62
12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft
- Lamberts Point66
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 66
- Little tunny 63
- Spot 63
12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft
- Hospital Point63
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 63
- Spot 62
- Little tunny 60
12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft
- Ludlow Flats63
Flat · 1.2 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Spot 63
- Spanish mackerel 57
12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 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.