Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

River Cove

38.72°N · 76.29°W · Bay · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
561 PM EDT
Best window
10 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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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Fri · 84

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score56Good
Tide1.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward N
Wind13 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast54% chance of rain
Water70°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.

Always check with Maryland DNR ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: Maryland DNR · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026

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

River Cove

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 River Cove

River Cove is a bay in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for scup, spot, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, weakfish and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Muddy Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Spot 69
    • Sheepshead 63

    13 kt NEH 2:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 8:29 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Balls Creek

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    70
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 70
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 61

    13 kt NEH 2:14 PM · 1.8 ftL 8:30 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Turkey Neck Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 63

    13 kt NEH 2:17 PM · 1.7 ftL 8:29 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Old Orchard Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 63

    13 kt NEH 2:14 PM · 1.8 ftL 8:30 PM · 1.0 ft

Open in the tide map

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.