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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 656 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Sands Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
76Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Sands Cove
- Depth
- 2-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Sands Cove
Sands Cove is a bay in Chesapeake Bay north of Pooles Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, weakfish and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Swan Creek Point75
Cape · 2.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Spot 72
- Scup 70
12 kt NEH 8:01 PM · 1.9 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cedar Point75
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Spot 72
- Scup 70
12 kt NEH 8:01 PM · 1.9 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.5 ft
- Buzzards Glory72
Bar · 2.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 72
- Spanish mackerel 72
- Spot 72
12 kt NEH 8:01 PM · 1.9 ftL 1:54 AM · 0.5 ft
- Sandy Point71
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Little tunny 70
- Scup 69
12 kt NEH 7:22 PM · 1.4 ftL 12:45 AM · 0.5 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.