Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutPeak season

Bay · Maryland

Cox Creek

39.18°N · 76.52°W · Bay · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spotted seatrout

82/100Great
Now
663 AM EST
Best window
12-4 PMFlood tide
Tide now
High1.3 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Nov 7 · 3 PM

Time3P
Score74Great
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward NW
Wind12 kn WNWgusts 22 · steady
Air temp59°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water63°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 3 more weeks at peak

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Peak season for Spotted seatrout · 3 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Maryland →

Spot profile

Cox Creek

Depth
Up to 7 ftNearest water
Structure
Estuary · Inner · Semi-exposedEstuary · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Cox Creek

Cox Creek is a bay in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is up to 7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads estuary, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 14 species here; the best right now are spotted seatrout, scup and spot. It is peak season now for spotted seatrout, striped bass, bluefish and tautog, and shoulder season for scup, spot, weakfish and red drum. Spotted seatrout peak from October through November. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Goose Neck

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 67
    • Spotted seatrout 60
    • Scup 58

    8 kt SH 3:10 AM · 1.3 ftL 9:43 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    67
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 67
    • Spotted seatrout 60
    • Scup 58

    8 kt SH 3:10 AM · 1.3 ftL 9:43 AM · 0.2 ft

  • Brewerton Angle

    Bend · 2.0 mi

    67
    Top: Spotted seatroutPeak season
    • Spotted seatrout 67
    • Striped bass 65
    • Scup 64

    8 kt SL 9:54 AM · 0.3 ftH 3:43 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Hawkins Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    67
    Top: Striped bassPeak season
    • Striped bass 67
    • Spotted seatrout 60
    • Scup 58

    8 kt SL 9:54 AM · 0.3 ftH 3:43 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.