Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Old Womans Point

37.74°N · 76.51°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · King mackerel

74/100Great
Now
4011 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score35Fair
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward NNW
Wind5 kn SSWgusts 19 · building
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy81% cloud
Water75°FPersisted

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

Old Womans Point

Depth
1-8 ftFlat bottom
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 Old Womans Point

Old Womans Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

  • Old Orchard Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 60
    • Little tunny 59

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 55
    • Scup 55

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Bar Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 54
    • Red drum 53

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Yankee Point

    Cape · 4.1 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 54
    • Red drum 53

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 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.