Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Ship Point

38.32°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD

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Best score today · 10 AM · Black sea bass

68/100Great
Now
502 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-12 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score50Good
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast51% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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 yesterday

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

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Maryland

Spot profile

Ship Point

Depth
Up to 25 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Ship Point

Ship Point is a cape in Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is up to 25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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

  • Town Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 62
    • Little tunny 60

    12 kt NEL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ftH 12:27 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Point Patience

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 62
    • Little tunny 60

    12 kt NEL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ftH 12:27 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Janes Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 57
    • Bluefish 55

    12 kt NEL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ftH 12:27 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Thorns Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 57
    • Bluefish 55

    12 kt NEL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ftH 12:27 PM · 1.6 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.