Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Calf Pasture Point

37.67°N · 76.43°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

66/100Great
Now
354 AM EDT
Best window
6 AM-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.6 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.6 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward E
Wind12 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast62% chance of rain
Water77°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.

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

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

Calf Pasture Point

Depth
Under 1 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 Calf Pasture Point

Calf Pasture Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, striped bass and black sea bass. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August 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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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

  • Carter Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    54
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 54
    • Scup 50
    • Red drum 48

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Dead and Bones Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Red drum 52
    • Scup 49

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Bridge Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Red drum 52
    • Scup 49

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Sloop Landing Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    49
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 49
    • Little tunny 48
    • Bluefish 47

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 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.