Waterlands

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SpotPeak season

Bay · Maryland

Harbor Cove

38.78°N · 76.33°W · Bay · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 7 PM · Spot

80/100Great
Now
699 AM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Sep 27 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score80Great
Tide1.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind8 kn Ngusts 13 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp61°Mild
WeatherOvercast89% cloud
Water72°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here

Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak

Spot season by week of the year. Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spot in Maryland

Spot profile

Harbor Cove

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpot

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 Harbor Cove

Harbor Cove is a bay in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is 2-4 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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Poplar Island Narrows

    Channel · 1.9 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Spanish mackerel 70
    • Summer flounder 67

    9 kt NEH 10:37 AM · 1.3 ftL 5:00 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Ferry Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 67
    • Spanish mackerel 67

    9 kt NEH 10:54 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Little Neck Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 62

    9 kt NEH 10:54 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Punch Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    9 kt NEH 10:54 AM · 1.2 ftL 4:15 PM · 0.7 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.