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Black sea bassShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 545 AM EDT
- Best window
- 5 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Beacon Bay 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 · 5 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
84Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.8 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
83Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
58Water temp: 74°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.6 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Beacon Bay
- Depth
- 4-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Beacon Bay
Beacon Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 4-10 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 red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for weakfish, bluefish, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
- 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
- Handys Point69
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Spot 67
- Scup 64
12 kt NEH 6:17 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:10 PM · 1.0 ft
- Plum Point69
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Spot 66
- Bluefish 64
12 kt NEH 6:17 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:10 PM · 1.0 ft
- Stoops Point69
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Spot 67
- Scup 64
12 kt NEH 6:17 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:10 PM · 1.0 ft
- Kinnaird Point69
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Spot 67
- Scup 64
12 kt NEH 6:17 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:10 PM · 1.0 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.