Waterlands

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TautogShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Old Field Point

39.36°N · 75.91°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 11 AM · Tautog

79/100Great
Now
382 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.2 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score38Fair
Tide0.2 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind11 kn NEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 2 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast96% cloud
Water74°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Tautog 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 · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Tautog is best here

Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Tautog in Maryland

Spot profile

Old Field Point

Depth
3-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonTautog

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 Old Field Point

Old Field Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 3-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Tautog
Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
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.
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

  • Penningtons Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 66

    11 kt NEH 6:26 PM · 2.6 ftL 12:19 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Ordinary Point

    Cape · 3.5 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 55

    11 kt NEH 8:08 PM · 1.5 ftL 1:43 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Rattlesnake Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Scup 55
    • Spot 55

    11 kt NEH 8:08 PM · 1.5 ftL 1:43 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Ponds Bar

    Cape · 4.1 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Scup 55
    • Spot 55

    11 kt NEH 8:08 PM · 1.5 ftL 1:43 AM · 0.4 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.