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TautogShoulder seasonChannel · Maryland
Holland Straits
38.13°N · 76.05°W · Channel · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 AM · Tautog
- Now
- 407 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.5 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Holland Straits scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
67Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
35Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
49Water temp: 69°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.2 ftSeason & habitat · Tautog
Species seasonality
55Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Tautog 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 · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Tautog is best here
Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
Spot profile
Holland Straits
- Depth
- 4-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonTautog
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 Holland Straits
Holland Straits is a channel in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 4-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and sheepshead. It is peak season now for scup, spot, sheepshead and summer flounder, 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. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Tautog
- Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
- 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
- Gunbarrel Point60
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 60
- Scup 55
- Bluefish 53
13 kt NEH 12:05 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 ft
- Johnson Point56
Cape · 1.3 mi
Top: Striped bassShoulder season- Striped bass 56
- Bluefish 54
- Black sea bass 51
15 kt NEH 12:05 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 ft
- Johnson Cove54
Bay · 1.0 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 54
- Striped bass 53
- Black sea bass 51
15 kt NEH 12:05 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 ft
- Gunbarrel Cove52
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 52
- Striped bass 50
- Black sea bass 48
15 kt NEH 12:05 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.4 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.