Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Holland Point

38.70°N · 76.23°W · Cape · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker

70/100Great
Now
407 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.0 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
Score40Fair
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind15 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast69% chance of rain
Water74°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

Holland Point

Depth
1-5 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 Holland Point

Holland Point is a cape in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 1-5 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, bluefish and scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, Spanish mackerel and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Scup peak from June 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.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Bluefish 53
    • Scup 53

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

  • Bridge Creek

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    58
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 58
    • Red drum 57
    • Scup 57

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

  • Old Orchard Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    58
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 58
    • Spanish mackerel 52
    • Bluefish 51

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

  • Nelson Island Shoal

    Bar · 2.4 mi

    57
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 57
    • Little tunny 56
    • Bluefish 53

    15 kt NEL 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.