Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Curtis Point

38.85°N · 76.50°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass

70/100Great
Now
512 AM EDT
Best window
6-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Oct 5 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score64Good
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward S
Wind9 kn WNWgusts 23 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy34% cloud
Water71°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Maryland

Spot profile

Curtis Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Curtis Point

Curtis Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 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, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • West River

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 66
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    15 kt NEH 2:48 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:34 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Horseshoe Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 60

    15 kt NEH 3:16 AM · 1.5 ftL 10:17 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Saunders Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 60
    • Little tunny 57

    15 kt NEH 2:48 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:34 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Thomas Point

    Cape · 4.3 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 61
    • Little tunny 60

    15 kt NEH 2:59 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:40 AM · 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.