Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Cedar Point

38.74°N · 76.23°W · Cape · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 12 AM · Red drum

71/100Great
Now
513 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score51Good
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind15 kn ENEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast93% chance of rain
Water75°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red drum 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 Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in Maryland

Spot profile

Cedar Point

Depth
1-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 1-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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.
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

  • Bridge Creek

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 57

    15 kt ENEL 7:33 PM · 1.0 ftH 1:58 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Balls Creek

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 61
    • Red drum 56

    15 kt ENEL 7:33 PM · 1.0 ftH 1:58 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Meetinghouse Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spot 57
    • Scup 56

    15 kt ENEL 7:33 PM · 1.0 ftH 1:58 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Old Orchard Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spot 57
    • Scup 56

    15 kt ENEL 7:33 PM · 1.0 ftH 1:58 AM · 2.3 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.