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

72/100Great
Now
537 PM EDT
Best window
7-9 PMDusk
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 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
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward S
Wind15 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast69% chance of rain
Water74°FObserved

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 today

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 little tunny, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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

  • Horseshoe Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Bluefish 58
    • Spot 58

    15 kt NEL 8:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 3:16 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Thomas Point

    Cape · 4.3 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 56
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    15 kt ENEL 8:09 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:59 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Saunders Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 55
    • Spot 55

    15 kt ENEL 8:03 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:48 AM · 1.6 ft

  • West River

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 61
    • Spanish mackerel 60

    15 kt NEL 8:03 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:48 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.