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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 PM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 5511 AM EDT
- Best window
- 1-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gloucester 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
50Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 9 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
52Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: Bright sunSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
72Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spanish 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 Spanish mackerel is best here
Peak season for Spanish mackerel · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Gloucester Point
- Depth
- 3-70 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
- Season
- Peak seasonSpanish 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 Gloucester Point
Gloucester Point is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 3-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, king mackerel, Atlantic croaker and tautog. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Cornwallis Cove65
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Scup 63
- Summer flounder 58
9 kt ENEH 4:10 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:05 PM · 0.8 ft
- Point of Rocks62
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 62
- Sheepshead 59
- Spot 58
9 kt ENEH 4:09 PM · 2.4 ftL 11:07 PM · 0.9 ft
- Stony Point58
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Little tunny 55
- Spanish mackerel 55
9 kt ENEH 4:10 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:05 PM · 0.8 ft
- Quarter Point58
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 58
- Little tunny 55
- Spanish mackerel 55
9 kt ENEH 4:10 PM · 2.5 ftL 11:05 PM · 0.8 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.