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

74/100Great
Now
4511 AM EDT
Best window
5-11 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score45Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind7 kn NEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water81°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, striped bass and black sea 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

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 3.3 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 67
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    7 kt NEL 11:55 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:27 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Monday Creek

    Gut · 1.2 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 60
    • Summer flounder 57

    7 kt NEH 5:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 12:32 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Tue Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spanish mackerel 62
    • Spot 62

    7 kt NEL 11:43 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:12 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Bush Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    57
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 57
    • Little tunny 56
    • Spanish mackerel 54

    7 kt NEH 5:58 PM · 2.6 ftL 12:32 AM · 1.4 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.