Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Todds Bay

38.62°N · 76.22°W · Bay · Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River

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Best score today · 12 AM · Atlantic croaker

77/100Great
Now
506 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 · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score50Good
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward NNW
Wind14 kn ENEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast67% 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

Todds Bay

Depth
5-15 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 Todds Bay

Todds Bay is a bay in Choptank River to Cambridge MD and the Little Choptank River, Maryland. Depth is 5-15 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, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, weakfish and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Todds Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Red drum 60
    • Bluefish 56

    14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Chapel Creek

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 62
    • Scup 59

    14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Armstrong Bay

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Little tunny 60

    14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 ft

  • Cook Point Cove

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Little tunny 60

    14 kt ENEL 7:23 PM · 0.9 ftH 1:48 AM · 2.1 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.