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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Coles Point
38.15°N · 76.63°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 2 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 455 PM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.5 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Coles 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 · 5 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
57Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
52Wind: 15 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
83Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: Late afternoonSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
41Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of 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 today
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
Coles Point
- Depth
- 5-10 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 Coles Point
Coles Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 5-10 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, Spanish mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, red drum and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and black sea bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. 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.
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Sandy Point58
Cape · 7.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 58
- Spot 54
- Spanish mackerel 52
18 kt ENEH 12:34 AM · 1.4 ftL 6:18 AM · 0.5 ft
- Ragged Point50
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 50
- Striped bass 45
- Black sea bass 44
13 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft
- Stinking Point50
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 50
- Striped bass 45
- Black sea bass 44
13 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft
- Thorns Point49
Cape · 14 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 49
- Black sea bass 46
- Striped bass 46
13 kt NEL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:23 AM · 1.7 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.
