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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonBar · Virginia
Sewells Point Spit
36.97°N · 76.32°W · Bar · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 679 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sewells Point Spit 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
80Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
86Wind: 10 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
84Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Sewells Point Spit
- Depth
- 6-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Sewells Point Spit
Sewells Point Spit is a bar in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, Spanish mackerel and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, Spanish mackerel, little tunny and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Little tunny peak from September through October.
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.
- 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
- Hampton Roads76
Channel · 1.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Red drum 73
- Summer flounder 71
10 kt NEL 1:16 AM · 0.8 ftH 7:23 AM · 2.6 ft
- Entrance Reach74
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 74
- Red drum 67
- Sheepshead 65
10 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ft
- Hampton Bar68
Bar · 1.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Spanish mackerel 66
- Bluefish 62
10 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ft
- Old Point Comfort68
Cape · 2.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Little tunny 65
- Black sea bass 64
10 kt NEL 1:25 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:24 AM · 2.6 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.
