Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Bowdoin Point

39.00°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score53Good
Tide0.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward WSW
Wind9 kn Egusts 14 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water79°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

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 Creek

    Bay · 0.1 mi

    70
    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 Bay

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    70
    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 Flats

    Flat · 0.6 mi

    70
    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 Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    68
    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.