Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Sims Point

39.39°N · 76.34°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

78/100Great
Now
5410 PM EDT
Best window
10-11 PMSlack current
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Sims Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score54Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind7 kn Egusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 2 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast54% chance of rain
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 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

Sims Point

Depth
2-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Sims Point

Sims Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Pooles Island to Sandy Point MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cunninghill Cove

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 62
    • Sheepshead 59

    11 kt EL 11:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:44 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Hog Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 65
    • Red drum 61

    7 kt EL 11:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:44 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Winbos Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 61

    7 kt EL 11:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:44 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Oliver Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Bluefish 58

    11 kt EL 11:18 PM · 0.5 ftH 5:44 AM · 1.6 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.