Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Horn 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 · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
563 PM EDT
Best window
3-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score56Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy47% 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

Horn Point

Depth
3-35 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Horn Point

Horn Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 3-35 ft, with a slope. 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 sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.

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.
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

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Scup 70
    • Sheepshead 66

    7 kt NNEL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Chinks Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 62

    7 kt NNEL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Carr Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 62

    7 kt NNEL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:38 AM · 1.6 ft

  • Greenbury Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 65

    7 kt NNEL 7:38 PM · 0.6 ftH 2:38 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.