Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Mosquito Point

37.61°N · 76.36°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 2 PM · King mackerel

69/100Great
Now
481 AM EDT
Best window
1-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score48Good
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward E
Wind11 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast97% chance of rain
Water78°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

Mosquito Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Mosquito Point

Mosquito Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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

  • Greys Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 59
    • Bluefish 58

    11 kt NEL 3:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:51 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Deep Hole Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Little tunny 59
    • Bluefish 58

    11 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:17 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Black sea bass 59
    • Little tunny 58

    12 kt NEL 3:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:51 AM · 1.4 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 3.6 mi

    58
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 58
    • Little tunny 56
    • Bluefish 55

    12 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:17 AM · 1.5 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.