UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
TautogShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Tautog
- Now
- 5111 AM EDT
- Best window
- 8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.1 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Harbor Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
68Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.2 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 8 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 77°F, hotLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.1 ftSeason & habitat · Tautog
Species seasonality
64Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Tautog 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 Tautog is best here
Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Harbor Cove
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonTautog
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 red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- Tautog
- Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Poplar Island Narrows71
Channel · 1.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Spanish mackerel 67
- Scup 66
8 kt NEH 12:40 PM · 1.3 ftL 6:54 PM · 0.5 ft
- Ferry Cove69
Bay · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 69
- Scup 67
- Red drum 64
8 kt NEH 12:52 PM · 1.2 ftL 6:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Little Neck Point64
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 64
- Spot 63
- Scup 62
8 kt NEH 12:52 PM · 1.2 ftL 6:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Punch Point63
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Spot 63
- Scup 60
8 kt NEH 12:52 PM · 1.2 ftL 6:26 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.