Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Red Point

39.53°N · 75.98°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD

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Best score today · 11 AM · Atlantic croaker

76/100Great
Now
568 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.2 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score56Good
Tide2.2 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast65% chance of rain
Water75°FObserved

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.

Always check with Maryland DNR ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: Maryland DNR · synced today

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

Red Point

Depth
1-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Red Point

Red Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

View all on map →
  • Cara Cove

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Scup 73
    • Atlantic croaker 62

    10 kt ENEH 8:15 PM · 2.2 ftL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Sandy Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Scup 73
    • Atlantic croaker 62

    10 kt ENEH 8:15 PM · 2.2 ftL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ft

  • White Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 61

    10 kt ENEH 8:15 PM · 2.2 ftL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Roach Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 61

    10 kt ENEH 8:15 PM · 2.2 ftL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ft

Open in the tide map

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.