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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonCape · Maryland
Bowdoin Point
39.00°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 537 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.6 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bowdoin Point 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
51Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 9 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
43Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Bowdoin 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 Bowdoin Point
Bowdoin Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach 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 little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
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
- Mill Creek70
Bay · 0.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Red drum 68
- Spanish mackerel 63
9 kt EH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Whitehall Bay70
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Spanish mackerel 68
- Little tunny 66
9 kt EH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Whitehall Flats70
Flat · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 70
- Spot 65
- Spotted seatrout 64
9 kt EH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.9 ft
- Possum Point68
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Spot 65
- Spanish mackerel 63
9 kt EH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:15 AM · 0.9 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.
