Waterlands

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Summer flounderPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Valliant Point

38.77°N · 76.37°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

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Best score today · 12 AM · Summer flounder

72/100Great
Now
597 AM EDT
Best window
7-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.9 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 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score59Good
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward S
Wind13 kn ENEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast81% chance of rain
Water76°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Summer flounder 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 Summer flounder is best here

Peak season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at peak

Summer flounder season by week of the year. Peak season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Summer flounder in Maryland

Spot profile

Valliant Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSummer flounder

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 Valliant Point

Valliant Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth 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, Spanish mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • North Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Spanish mackerel 64
    • Spot 63

    13 kt ENEL 8:18 AM · 0.8 ftH 1:41 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Poplar Island Narrows

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    71
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 71
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 66

    13 kt ENEL 8:18 AM · 0.8 ftH 1:41 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Punch Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    13 kt ENEL 8:37 AM · 0.8 ftH 1:50 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Great Marsh Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    13 kt ENEL 8:37 AM · 0.8 ftH 1:50 PM · 1.3 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.