Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Thomas Point

38.33°N · 76.49°W · Cape · Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD

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Best score today · 3 AM · Atlantic croaker

71/100Great
Now
531 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score53Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 25 · steady
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast87% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Atlantic croaker in Maryland

Spot profile

Thomas Point

Depth
3-110 ftDrop-off
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Thomas Point

Thomas Point is a cape in Patuxent River to Broomes Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 3-110 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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.
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

  • Point Patience

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 61

    12 kt ENEL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:23 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Myrtle Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 61
    • Scup 57

    12 kt ENEL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:23 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Town Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 61

    12 kt ENEL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:23 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Thorns Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Little tunny 59
    • Scup 55

    12 kt ENEL 5:57 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:23 AM · 1.7 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.