Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Bush Point

39.46°N · 76.24°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

75/100Great
Now
593 AM EDT
Best window
3 PM-12 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

Sunday, Sep 27 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score56Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward NW
Wind11 kn NNWgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water69°FBias corrected

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.

Source: Maryland DNR · synced yesterday

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

Bush Point

Depth
1-5 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Bush Point

Bush Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 1-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, weakfish and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Fairview Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Spot 70
    • Bluefish 67

    10 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Pond Point

    Cape · 5.2 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Spot 70
    • Bluefish 67

    10 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Sewells Bar

    Bar · 0.1 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 70
    • Bluefish 68

    10 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 ft

  • Fairview Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 66

    10 kt NEH 6:33 AM · 1.5 ftL 1:08 PM · 0.2 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.