Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Chinks Point

38.97°N · 76.47°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 12 AM · Bluefish

73/100Great
Now
5210 AM EDT
Best window
1-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.0 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score52Good
Tide1.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind10 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast95% cloud
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Bluefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Bluefish in Maryland

Spot profile

Chinks Point

Depth
3-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 Chinks Point

Chinks Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 3-15 ft, with a slope. 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 Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. 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

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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

  • Annapolis Roads

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 67
    • Red drum 64

    10 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 1.2 ftL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Greenbury Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 61

    10 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 1.2 ftL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Horn Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Red drum 60

    10 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 1.2 ftL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Carr Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Red drum 60

    10 kt NEH 1:33 PM · 1.2 ftL 7:38 PM · 0.6 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.