Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

West River

38.86°N · 76.50°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker

77/100Great
Now
642 PM EDT
Best window
2-6 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

Notify me when West River scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 83

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score64Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind8 kn NEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 2 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy84% cloud
Water77°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.

Always check with Maryland DNR ↗Fishing license ↗

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

West River

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
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 West River

West River is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD, Maryland. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, bluefish and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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.
Scup
Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

View all on map →
  • Horseshoe Point

    Cape · 2.2 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 67
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    8 kt NEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:34 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Curtis Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 65
    • Little tunny 59

    8 kt NEL 7:34 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:34 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Thomas Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 66
    • Little tunny 58

    8 kt NEL 6:57 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:17 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Saunders Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 64
    • Little tunny 60

    8 kt NEL 6:51 PM · 0.7 ftH 2:06 AM · 1.6 ft

Open in the tide map

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.