Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Channel · Maryland

Sparrows Point Channel

39.20°N · 76.48°W · Channel · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

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Best score today · 12 AM · Little tunny

73/100Great
Now
414 AM EDT
Best window
7-10 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score41Fair
Tide1.7 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NW
Wind14 kn ENEgusts 26 · steady
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water76°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in Maryland

Spot profile

Sparrows Point Channel

Depth
15-45 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 Sparrows Point Channel

Sparrows Point Channel is a channel in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth is 15-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

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 summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, weakfish, spotted seatrout and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

Tackle & technique

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.
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 Channel

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    14 kt ENEL 11:23 AM · 0.9 ftH 4:35 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Brewerton Angle

    Bend · 1.6 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    14 kt ENEL 11:25 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Marine Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    14 kt ENEL 11:25 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:23 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Sparrows Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 57
    • Atlantic croaker 51

    14 kt ENEL 11:25 AM · 0.8 ftH 4:23 PM · 1.4 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.