Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Hail Point

39.01°N · 76.20°W · Cape · Chester River to Queenstown MD

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout

74/100Great
Now
507 PM EDT
Best window
7-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 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
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward SSE
Wind15 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast69% chance of rain
Water74°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Maryland

Spot profile

Hail Point

Depth
1-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Hail Point

Hail Point is a cape in Chester River to Queenstown MD, Maryland. Depth is 1-9 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 sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Long Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 61

    15 kt NEL 8:57 PM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 AM · 2.0 ft

  • Narrows Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 65
    • Sheepshead 61

    15 kt NEL 10:12 PM · 0.9 ftH 5:00 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Panhandle Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 63
    • Sheepshead 59

    15 kt NEL 8:57 PM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 AM · 2.0 ft

  • Baybush Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 62
    • Bluefish 58

    15 kt NEL 8:57 PM · 0.8 ftH 3:25 AM · 2.0 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.