Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Baybush Point

39.02°N · 76.23°W · Cape · Chester River to Queenstown MD

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Best score today · 1 AM · Atlantic croaker

72/100Great
Now
507 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score50Good
Tide0.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward NNW
Wind10 kn Egusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 2 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water77°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.

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

Baybush Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Baybush Point

Baybush Point is a cape in Chester River to Queenstown MD, Maryland. Depth is 1-4 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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and striped bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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.
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

  • Narrows Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 69
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    10 kt EL 9:00 PM · 0.9 ftH 4:18 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Hail Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 69
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    10 kt EL 9:00 PM · 0.9 ftH 4:18 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Long Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 61

    10 kt EH 2:43 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:56 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Panhandle Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 60

    10 kt EH 2:43 AM · 2.0 ftL 9:56 AM · 1.0 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.