Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Eagle Point

38.13°N · 76.18°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Red drum

69/100Great
Now
513 PM EDT
Best window
6-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score63Good
Tide0.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SSE
Wind12 kn NNEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water73°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red drum 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 today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in Maryland

Spot profile

Eagle Point

Depth
About 25 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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 Eagle Point

Eagle Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Drum Point MD to Smith Point VA, Maryland. Depth is about 25 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, bluefish and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Muddy Creek

    Bay · 6.0 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 61
    • Sheepshead 61

    12 kt NEL 5:25 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:38 PM · 2.1 ft

  • Holland Island Bay

    Bay · 4.8 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Little tunny 62
    • Sheepshead 62

    12 kt NEL 5:09 PM · 0.5 ftH 11:22 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Bloodsworth Point

    Cape · 5.5 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Bluefish 55
    • Sheepshead 54

    12 kt NEL 5:30 PM · 1.0 ftH 11:32 PM · 1.8 ft

  • Pone Cove

    Bay · 5.8 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Red drum 58
    • Scup 56

    12 kt NEL 5:30 PM · 1.0 ftH 11:32 PM · 1.8 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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.