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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
Muddy Cove
38.72°N · 76.30°W · Bay · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 5810 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Muddy Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Sunday, Sep 27 · 2 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
16Wind: 18 kt NNWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.2 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
52Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Muddy Cove
- Depth
- Up to 5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Muddy Cove
Muddy Cove is a bay in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is up to 5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and sheepshead. It is peak season now for spot, scup, sheepshead and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, weakfish and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead 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.
- 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.
- 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
- River Cove70
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Red drum 67
- Scup 67
15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 ft
- Balls Creek70
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 67
- Red drum 66
15 kt NEH 1:58 AM · 2.3 ftL 9:04 AM · 1.1 ft
- Turkey Neck Point65
Cape · 0.2 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Spot 65
- Bluefish 62
15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 AM · 1.0 ft
- Bald Eagle Point65
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Spot 65
- Bluefish 62
15 kt NEH 2:01 AM · 2.1 ftL 9:03 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.