Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Leading Point

39.22°N · 76.55°W · Cape · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Spotted seatrout

74/100Great
Now
482 PM EDT
Best window
3-9 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 ft ▲

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

Notify me when Leading Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score48Good
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NW
Wind6 kn NEgusts 15 · steady
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy34% cloud
Water77°FObserved

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 today

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Maryland

Spot profile

Leading Point

Depth
4-15 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder 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 Leading Point

Leading Point is a cape in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 4-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Curtis Bay Channel

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 65
    • Sheepshead 63

    6 kt NEH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ftL 9:14 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Thoms Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 65
    • Sheepshead 62

    6 kt NEH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ftL 9:14 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Curtis Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 65
    • Sheepshead 62

    6 kt NEH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ftL 9:14 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Fishing Point Shoal

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Summer flounder 61

    6 kt NEH 3:25 PM · 1.3 ftL 9:14 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.