Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Cedar Point

39.13°N · 76.44°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
572 PM EDT
Best window
2-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 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 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score57Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind6 kn NEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy34% cloud
Water77°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 today

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

Cedar Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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.
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.
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

  • Craighill Angle

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Scup 71
    • Atlantic croaker 66

    6 kt NEH 2:56 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:30 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Bodkin Creek

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Scup 71
    • Atlantic croaker 62

    6 kt NEH 2:56 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:30 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Bodkin Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 65
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    6 kt NEH 2:56 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:30 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Bodkin Point Shoal

    Bar · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 65
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    6 kt NEH 2:56 PM · 1.1 ftL 8:30 PM · 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.