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Spotted seatroutShoulder seasonChannel · Maryland
Hooper Strait
38.21°N · 76.05°W · Channel · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 309 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hooper Strait 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 · 9 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
96Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
27Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
59Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 68°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 3.0 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
75Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here
Last week of shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · peak season next
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Hooper Strait
- Depth
- 15-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout
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 Hooper Strait
Hooper Strait is a channel in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 15-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and striped bass. It is peak season now for scup, spot, summer flounder and sheepshead, and shoulder season for striped bass, black sea bass, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.
Tackle & technique
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
- 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
- Bishops Head Point68
Cape · 1.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Striped bass 65
- Bluefish 62
13 kt NEH 12:17 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:52 AM · 0.5 ft
- Straddling Point68
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 68
- Striped bass 65
- Bluefish 62
13 kt NEH 12:17 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:52 AM · 0.5 ft
- Hopkins Cove66
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Spot 66
- Scup 65
13 kt NEH 12:17 AM · 2.2 ftL 6:52 AM · 0.5 ft
- Tigs Point66
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Striped bass 64
- Bluefish 61
13 kt NEH 12:15 AM · 1.8 ftL 6:47 AM · 0.7 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.