Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Tide Mill Cove

38.80°N · 76.22°W · Bay · Eastern Bay

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Best score today · 9 PM · Atlantic croaker

77/100Great
Now
5911 AM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score59Good
Tide1.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward SW
Wind8 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy74% cloud
Water77°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 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

Tide Mill Cove

Depth
Up to 15 ftSlope
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · 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 Tide Mill Cove

Tide Mill Cove is a bay in Eastern Bay, Maryland. Depth is up to 15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and sheepshead. It is peak season now for spot, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead 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.
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

  • Deepwater Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 64

    8 kt NEH 1:13 PM · 1.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Navy Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

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

    8 kt NEH 1:13 PM · 1.5 ftL 7:06 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Bennett Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 61

    8 kt NEH 12:59 PM · 1.2 ftL 6:40 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Seth Point

    Cape · 4.0 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 61

    8 kt NEH 12:59 PM · 1.2 ftL 6:40 PM · 0.8 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.