Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Drum Point

38.10°N · 75.86°W · Cape · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

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Best score today · 10 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
5611 AM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score56Good
Tide2.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward N
Wind13 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water68°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 yesterday

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

Drum Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Drum Point

Drum Point is a cape in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • Goose Creek

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 75
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 65

    13 kt NEH 12:06 PM · 2.2 ftL 6:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Drum Point Cove

    Bay · 0.2 mi

    74
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 74
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 67

    13 kt NEH 12:06 PM · 2.2 ftL 6:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Hazard Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Spot 72
    • Little tunny 64

    13 kt NEH 12:06 PM · 2.2 ftL 6:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Prickly Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 69

    13 kt NEH 12:06 PM · 2.2 ftL 6:34 PM · 0.6 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.