Waterlands

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ScupShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Muddy Creek

38.97°N · 76.23°W · Bay · Chester River to Queenstown MD

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Best score today · 3 PM · Scup

84/100Great
Now
7211 AM EST
Best window
2-5 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Nov 15 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score69Great
Tide0.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward N
Wind2 kn SWgusts 9 · steady
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast88% cloud
Water62°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Scup is best here

Shoulder season for Scup · 2 more weeks at shoulder

Scup season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Scup · 2 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Scup in Maryland →

Spot profile

Muddy Creek

Depth
Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonScup

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 Muddy Creek

Muddy Creek is a bay in Chester River to Queenstown MD, Maryland. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 14 species here; the best right now are scup, spotted seatrout and spot. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, striped bass, tautog and bluefish, and shoulder season for scup, spot, weakfish and red drum. Scup peak from June through October. Spotted seatrout peak from October through November. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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

  • Jackson Creek

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    72
    Top: ScupShoulder season
    • Scup 72
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spot 65

    4 kt SL 5:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:47 PM · 1.7 ft

  • Cabin Creek

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    72
    Top: ScupShoulder season
    • Scup 72
    • Spotted seatrout 66
    • Spot 65

    4 kt SL 5:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:47 PM · 1.7 ft

  • Long Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 68
    • Scup 67
    • Spotted seatrout 61

    4 kt SL 5:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:47 PM · 1.7 ft

  • Bluff Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 68
    • Scup 67
    • Spotted seatrout 61

    4 kt SL 5:28 PM · 0.4 ftH 11:47 PM · 1.7 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.