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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
Curtis Bay
39.22°N · 76.56°W · Bay · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 523 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3-9 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Curtis Bay 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
Saturday, Oct 3 · 6 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
99Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.4 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
98Wind: 3 kt WPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
81Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
46Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Curtis Bay
- Depth
- 15-50 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 Curtis Bay
Curtis Bay is a bay in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 15-50 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 little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for weakfish, Atlantic croaker, bluefish and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak 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.
- 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
- Wagners Point61
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spot 59
- Scup 58
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Ferry Point61
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spot 59
- Scup 58
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Leading Point61
Cape · 0.8 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 61
- Spot 59
- Scup 58
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 PM · 0.7 ft
- Fishing Point Shoal59
Bar · 0.3 mi
Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season- Spanish mackerel 59
- Spot 59
- Little tunny 58
13 kt ENEH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ftL 10:26 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.