Waterlands

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King mackerelShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.26°N · 76.40°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 7 AM · King mackerel

75/100Great
Now
471 PM EDT
Best window
2-4 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.7 ft

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score47Good
Tide0.7 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward ENE
Wind7 kn Egusts 15 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% chance of rain
Water80°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.

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

Sandy Point

Depth
2-5 ftFlat bottom
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 York River, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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

  • Monday Creek

    Gut · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Red drum 66
    • Summer flounder 64

    7 kt EH 6:47 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:13 AM · 1.2 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 61
    • Summer flounder 60

    7 kt EH 7:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:31 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Tue Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 60
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    7 kt EH 7:01 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:19 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Bush Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Spanish mackerel 59
    • Little tunny 58

    7 kt EH 6:47 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:13 AM · 1.2 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.