Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bend · Maryland

Red Hole

38.03°N · 75.85°W · Bend · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

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Best score today · 11 PM · Atlantic croaker

76/100Great
Now
6310 AM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.9 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: Mon · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score63Good
Tide1.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward ENE
Wind13 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.5 ft · 3 s
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast87% 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.

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

Red Hole

Depth
Up to 8 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 Red Hole

Red Hole is a bend in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth in the nearest water is up to 8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

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

View all on map →
  • Acre Creek

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 66

    13 kt NEH 11:27 AM · 2.1 ftL 5:59 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Jones Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Spot 72
    • Red drum 66

    13 kt NEH 11:27 AM · 2.1 ftL 5:59 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Joes Cove

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Spot 72
    • Little tunny 66

    13 kt NEH 11:27 AM · 2.1 ftL 5:59 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Wear Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 66

    13 kt NEH 11:27 AM · 2.1 ftL 5:59 PM · 0.8 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.