Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Channel Point

38.01°N · 76.05°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

78/100Great
Now
592 AM EDT
Best window
7-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score59Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward W
Wind9 kn Egusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water76°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.

Source: Maryland DNR · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Maryland

Spot profile

Channel Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Channel Point

Channel Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Maryland. Depth is 1-6 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 bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • Lighting Knot Cove

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Red drum 69
    • Sheepshead 69

    9 kt EL 4:50 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:30 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Swaney Cove

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Red drum 74
    • Summer flounder 67

    9 kt EL 4:50 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:30 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Goose Harbor Cove

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Sheepshead 68
    • Red drum 67

    9 kt EL 4:50 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:30 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Chaisey Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 69

    9 kt EL 4:50 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:30 AM · 1.7 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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.