Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Horseshoe Point

38.83°N · 76.49°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

72/100Great
Now
416 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMDusk
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score41Fair
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind15 kn ENEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast79% chance of rain
Water75°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Spotted seatrout in Maryland

Spot profile

Horseshoe Point

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Horseshoe Point

Horseshoe Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-4 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, bluefish and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Curtis Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 58
    • Spot 58

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

  • Saunders Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 58
    • Spot 58

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

  • Thomas Point

    Cape · 5.4 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 58
    • Spot 57

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

  • West River

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 61
    • Sheepshead 60

    15 kt ENEL 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.