Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Yankee Point

37.69°N · 76.48°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 AM · King mackerel

68/100Great
Now
354 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.6 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · 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
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast62% 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

Yankee Point

Depth
3-20 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Yankee Point

Yankee Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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 scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, striped bass 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

  • Bar Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Little tunny 49
    • Red drum 47

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

  • Ball Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Little tunny 49
    • Red drum 47

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

  • Dead and Bones Cove

    Bay · 2.8 mi

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

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

  • Calf Pasture Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    52
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 52
    • Little tunny 48
    • Spot 48

    12 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.