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Black sea bassShoulder seasonBay · Maryland
Old Road Bay
39.21°N · 76.45°W · Bay · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 1 AM · Black sea bass
- Now
- 402 AM EDT
- Best window
- 2-8 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Road 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
34Tide: High slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt NNEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
15Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
51Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here
Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Old Road Bay
- Depth
- 6-10 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass
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 Old Road Bay
Old Road Bay is a bay in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- Black sea bass
- Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
- 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
- Penwood Channel77
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Atlantic croaker 68
- Scup 66
8 kt NNEL 8:55 AM · 1.0 ftH 1:39 PM · 1.1 ft
- North Point73
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Scup 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
8 kt NNEL 8:55 AM · 1.0 ftH 1:39 PM · 1.1 ft
- Sedgy Point73
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Scup 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
8 kt NNEL 8:55 AM · 1.0 ftH 1:39 PM · 1.1 ft
- North Shoal73
Bar · 1.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 73
- Scup 63
- Atlantic croaker 62
8 kt NNEL 8:55 AM · 1.0 ftH 1:39 PM · 1.1 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.
