Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Maryland

Walnut Point

39.21°N · 76.58°W · Cape · Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor

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Best score today · 7 AM · Scup

73/100Great
Now
536 AM EDT
Best window
6-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score53Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SE
Wind7 kn NNEgusts 14 · steady
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherPartly cloudy32% cloud
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 6 more weeks at peak

Scup season by week of the year. Peak season for Scup · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Scup in Maryland

Spot profile

Walnut Point

Depth
5-25 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Peak seasonScup

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 Walnut Point

Walnut Point is a cape in Patapsco River including Baltimore Harbor, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 5-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Curtis Bay

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Spanish mackerel 71
    • Sheepshead 70

    7 kt NNEL 8:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:27 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Stonehouse Cove

    Bay · 1.5 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Spanish mackerel 70
    • Red drum 68

    7 kt NNEL 8:58 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:12 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Fishing Point Shoal

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    72
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 72
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 68

    7 kt NNEL 8:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:27 PM · 1.3 ft

  • Ferry Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Spot 71
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    7 kt NNEL 8:57 AM · 0.9 ftH 1:27 PM · 1.3 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.