Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Maryland

Wear Point

38.04°N · 75.84°W · Cape · Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic croaker

72/100Great
Now
508 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood 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 PM · now

Time8PNOW
Score50Good
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward ENE
Wind14 kn NEgusts 29 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
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.

Source: Maryland DNR · Sync unavailable, last verified Sep 13, 2026

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic croaker is best here

Last week of shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · the off season next

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Last week of shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · the off season next.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Maryland

Spot profile

Wear Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
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 Wear Point

Wear Point is a cape in Tangier Sound and the inland waters surrounding Bloodsworth Island, Maryland. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, 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. Spot peak from August 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.
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

  • Red Hole

    Bend · 0.8 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 68
    • Sheepshead 65

    14 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 2.3 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Jones Creek

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Red drum 62

    14 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 2.3 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Acre Creek

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Red drum 62

    14 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 2.3 ftL 6:26 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Joes Cove

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 64

    14 kt NEH 11:48 PM · 2.3 ftL 6:26 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.