Waterlands

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TautogShoulder 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 · Tautog

75/100Great
Now
4810 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.0 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 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score48Good
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward N
Wind10 kn NEgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.8 ft · 2 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast37% chance of rain
Water75°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 · synced today

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

Red Point

Depth
1-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 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 spot, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cara Cove

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Scup 71
    • Red drum 68

    10 kt NEL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ftH 8:47 AM · 3.1 ft

  • Sandy Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Scup 71
    • Red drum 68

    10 kt NEL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ftH 8:47 AM · 3.1 ft

  • White Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ftH 8:47 AM · 3.1 ft

  • Roach Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 66

    10 kt NEL 2:23 AM · 1.3 ftH 8:47 AM · 3.1 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.