Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Long Point

38.33°N · 76.21°W · Cape · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

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Best score today · 10 AM · Atlantic croaker

68/100Great
Now
418 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-12 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 8 AM · now

Time8ANOW
Score41Fair
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.6 kn · toward SE
Wind15 kn NNEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast92% 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.

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

Long Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Long Point

Long Point is a cape 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 point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

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

  • Tom Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spanish mackerel 60
    • Spot 60

    15 kt NNEH 12:27 PM · 1.6 ftL 6:33 PM · 0.4 ft

  • Upper Wroten Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Scup 58
    • Striped bass 55

    15 kt NNEH 12:31 PM · 1.9 ftL 6:38 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Wheatley Point Cove

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Red drum 61
    • Spot 59

    15 kt NNEH 12:31 PM · 1.9 ftL 6:38 PM · 1.0 ft

  • Lower Wroten Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Scup 58
    • Striped bass 55

    15 kt NNEH 12:31 PM · 1.9 ftL 6:38 PM · 1.0 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.