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TautogShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
West River
38.86°N · 76.50°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Sandy Point to North Beach MD
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Tautog
- Now
- 467 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.7 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.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
31Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
89Wind: 10 kt EPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
55Water temp: 77°F, hotLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 0.9 ftSeason & habitat · Tautog
Species seasonality
65Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Tautog 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 Tautog is best here
Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
West River
- Depth
- 10-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonTautog
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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Tautog
- Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
- 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
- Thomas Point66
Cape · 3.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Spot 62
- Spanish mackerel 60
9 kt EH 2:17 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:08 AM · 0.8 ft
- Saunders Point63
Cape · 1.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Spot 61
- Scup 58
9 kt EH 2:06 AM · 1.6 ftL 9:02 AM · 0.8 ft
- Horseshoe Point63
Cape · 2.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Spot 61
- Scup 57
10 kt EH 2:34 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:45 AM · 0.8 ft
- Curtis Point62
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 62
- Spot 60
- Scup 56
10 kt EH 2:34 AM · 1.5 ftL 9:45 AM · 0.8 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.