Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Gut · Maryland

Frances Gut

37.99°N · 76.04°W · Gut · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

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Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic croaker

70/100Great
Now
426 AM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Wed · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score42Fair
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind14 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast43% chance of rain
Water70°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.

Always check with Maryland DNR ↗Fishing license ↗

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

Frances Gut

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Frances Gut

Frances Gut is a gut in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and summer flounder. It is peak season now for scup, spot, summer flounder and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, weakfish, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Summer flounder peak from June through September.

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

View all on map →
  • Levering Creek

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    57
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 57
    • Spot 51
    • Red drum 50

    14 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Goose Harbor Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    56
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 56
    • Spot 49
    • Little tunny 48

    14 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Channel Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    53
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 53
    • Scup 52
    • Bluefish 47

    14 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

  • Chaisey Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    52
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 52
    • Red drum 52
    • Scup 51

    14 kt NEH 11:18 AM · 1.8 ftL 5:49 PM · 0.5 ft

Open in the tide map

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.