Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Tom Point

38.32°N · 76.23°W · Cape · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

67/100Great
Now
491 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-12 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.6 ft ▼

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

Notify me when Tom Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Thu · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 AM · now

Time1ANOW
Score49Good
Tide1.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind14 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast60% chance of rain
Water78°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

Tom Point

Depth
1-4 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Tom Point

Tom 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 semi-exposed.

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

    Bay · 1.2 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 61
    • Red drum 58

    14 kt NEL 6:29 AM · 0.6 ftH 12:27 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Sand Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 56
    • Little tunny 53

    14 kt NEL 7:12 AM · 1.1 ftH 12:31 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Long Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 60
    • Little tunny 57

    14 kt NEL 7:12 AM · 1.1 ftH 12:31 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Fishing Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Scup 56
    • Little tunny 54

    14 kt NEL 6:29 AM · 0.6 ftH 12:27 PM · 1.6 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.