Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Bennett Point

38.85°N · 76.21°W · Cape · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
554 AM EDT
Best window
6-8 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Oct 5 · 5 PM

Time5P
Score35Fair
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward S
Wind2 kn SSEgusts 10 · building
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast91% cloud
Water69°FPersisted

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 yesterday

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

Bennett Point

Depth
2-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Bennett Point

Bennett Point is a cape in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is 2-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September 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.
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

  • Tide Mill Cove

    Bay · 3.9 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Red drum 64
    • Scup 64

    13 kt ENEL 9:17 AM · 1.0 ftH 2:11 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Wells Cove

    Bay · 4.0 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 64
    • Sheepshead 63

    13 kt ENEL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:57 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Seth Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 64
    • Bluefish 59

    13 kt ENEL 8:51 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:57 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Deepwater Point

    Cape · 3.3 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 64
    • Red drum 60

    13 kt ENEL 9:17 AM · 1.0 ftH 2:11 PM · 1.6 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.