Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Ford Point

39.31°N · 76.28°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout

77/100Great
Now
552 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score55Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward NNE
Wind13 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast75% chance of rain
Water75°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Maryland

Spot profile

Ford Point

Depth
1-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Ford Point

Ford Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Robins Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 67
    • Bluefish 65

    13 kt NEH 6:17 AM · 2.1 ftL 1:10 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Spry Island Shoal

    Bar · 2.8 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 65
    • Bluefish 64

    13 kt NEH 5:17 AM · 1.9 ftL 12:01 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Rickett Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 63

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

  • Carroll Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 63

    13 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.