Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Poverty Point

38.50°N · 76.27°W · Cape · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

68/100Great
Now
5511 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score55Good
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward NE
Wind14 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast41% chance of rain
Water76°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Maryland

Spot profile

Poverty Point

Depth
1-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Poverty Point

Poverty Point is a cape in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, 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 scup. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Hooper Cove

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 67
    • Red drum 64

    14 kt NEH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Cators Cove

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 69
    • Scup 67

    14 kt NEH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Holland Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 62

    14 kt NEH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Hooper Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 62

    14 kt NEH 1:40 AM · 2.0 ftL 8:51 AM · 0.9 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.