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SpotPeak seasonBay · Maryland
Tar Bay
38.35°N · 76.26°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Drum Point MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 PM · Spot
- Now
- 7511 PM EDT
- Best window
- 11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tar Bay 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
81Wind: 1 kt NWPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
96Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Tar Bay
- Depth
- 1-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Tar Bay
Tar Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from North Beach to Drum Point MD, Maryland. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, Atlantic croaker and scup. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, weakfish, bluefish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Scup peak from June through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Barren Island Gap75
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 75
- Atlantic croaker 63
- Scup 62
12 kt EH 11:33 PM · 1.6 ftL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ft
- Barren Island Point69
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Scup 57
12 kt EH 11:33 PM · 1.6 ftL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ft
- Houston Point69
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Red drum 65
- Atlantic croaker 58
12 kt EH 11:33 PM · 1.6 ftL 5:45 AM · 0.7 ft
- Cedar Point69
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Atlantic croaker 58
- Scup 57
12 kt EH 11:33 PM · 1.6 ftL 5:45 AM · 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 Maryland DNR before you keep a fish.