Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Arnold Point

39.46°N · 75.97°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 6 AM · Black sea bass

77/100Great
Now
583 AM EDT
Best window
4-8 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score58Good
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NE
Wind10 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp56°Mild
WeatherOvercast74% chance of rain
Water74°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Maryland

Spot profile

Arnold Point

Depth
3-20 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Arnold Point

Arnold Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 3-20 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 red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Huckleberry Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    72
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 72
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spot 69

    10 kt NEH 7:54 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEH 7:54 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Greenbush Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEH 7:54 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Timber Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEH 7:54 AM · 2.6 ftL 2:31 PM · 0.6 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.