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King mackerelShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Sandy Point
38.07°N · 76.54°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · King mackerel
- Now
- 459 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sandy 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
Monday, Sep 28 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
87Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 10 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · King mackerel
Species seasonality
35Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of range
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
Sandy Point
- Depth
- 6-10 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 Sandy Point
Sandy Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 6-10 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 scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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
- Ragged Point70
Cape · 6.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Spot 66
- Bluefish 64
12 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft
- Coles Point68
Cape · 7.5 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Spot 66
- Scup 63
13 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft
- Stinking Point66
Cape · 5.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Spot 66
- Scup 63
12 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cedar Point58
Cape · 16 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 58
- Spot 57
- Little tunny 56
13 kt NEH 10:21 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:55 AM · 0.7 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.