Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Courthouse Point

39.51°N · 75.88°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 11 AM · Black sea bass

80/100Great
Now
6410 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score64Good
Tide2.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward WSW
Wind11 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 2 s
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherOvercast36% 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

Courthouse Point

Depth
5-20 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Courthouse Point

Courthouse Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 5-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

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.
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

  • Piney Creek Cove

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Little tunny 75
    • Spanish mackerel 74

    11 kt NEL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:28 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Bull Minnow Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spot 72
    • Sheepshead 69

    11 kt NEL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:28 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Welch Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spot 73
    • Sheepshead 69

    11 kt NEL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:28 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Randall Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    77
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 77
    • Spot 73
    • Sheepshead 69

    11 kt NEL 2:31 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:28 PM · 2.4 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.