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Spanish mackerelPeak seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Spanish mackerel
- Now
- 594 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Point of Rocks 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 · 4 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
74Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt ESEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
47Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Spanish mackerel
Species seasonality
69Season: 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 yesterday
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
Point of Rocks
- Depth
- 4-50 ftDrop-off
- Structure
- Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Point of Rocks
Point of Rocks is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth is 4-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and sheepshead. It is peak season now for spot, scup, sheepshead and little tunny, and shoulder season for black sea bass, king mackerel, tautog and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cornwallis Cove75
Bay · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Scup 65
- Atlantic croaker 64
8 kt ESEH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 0.7 ft
- Gloucester Point69
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 65
- Red drum 63
8 kt ESEH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 0.7 ft
- Quarter Point69
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Red drum 63
- Little tunny 62
8 kt ESEH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 0.7 ft
- Stony Point69
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Red drum 63
- Little tunny 62
8 kt ESEH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 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.