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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Orchard Point
37.65°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 4212 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 AM-12 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.3 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Orchard Point 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 · 12 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
65Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
68Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
48Water temp: 78°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: 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
Orchard Point
- Depth
- 2-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
- 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 Orchard Point
Orchard Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 2-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and 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.
- 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 Cove61
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 61
- Red drum 55
- Bluefish 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Sloop Landing Point56
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 56
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Crab Point56
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 56
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Galley Hook Point56
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 56
- Little tunny 55
- Bluefish 54
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.