Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bar · Maryland

Shark Fin Shoal

38.21°N · 75.99°W · Bar · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

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Best score today · 10 AM · Atlantic croaker

71/100Great
Now
491 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.3 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: Fri · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score49Good
Tide2.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind12 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 3 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast85% chance of rain
Water69°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 · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026

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

Shark Fin Shoal

Depth
10-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · 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 Shark Fin Shoal

Shark Fin Shoal is a bar in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

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 →
  • Clay Island Creek

    Bay · 2.9 mi

    69
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 69
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 57

    12 kt NEL 7:04 PM · 0.7 ftH 12:49 AM · 2.7 ft

  • Bishops Head Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 62

    12 kt NEL 6:15 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:17 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Straddling Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 62

    12 kt NEL 6:15 PM · 0.5 ftH 12:17 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Phillips Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    63
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 61

    12 kt NEL 6:35 PM · 0.7 ftH 12:35 AM · 2.5 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.