Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · Maryland

Harrison Cove

38.37°N · 77.23°W · Bay · Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

76/100Great
Now
5210 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMSlack current
Tide now
Low0.5 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sat · 82

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score52Good
Tide0.5 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind9 kn NEgusts 18 · steady
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water75°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 today

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

Harrison Cove

Depth
3-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Harrison Cove

Harrison Cove is a bay in Tidal Potomac from Indian Head to Cobb Island MD, Maryland. Depth is 3-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for spotted seatrout, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and 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 →
  • Blossom Point

    Cape · 7.0 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 67
    • Scup 65

    10 kt NEH 2:57 AM · 1.5 ftL 8:47 AM · 0.4 ft

  • Blue Bay

    Bay · 5.8 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 64
    • Little tunny 60

    9 kt NEH 5:41 AM · 1.4 ftL 11:13 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Wades Bay

    Bay · 4.5 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 60
    • Red drum 58

    9 kt NEH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ftL 10:25 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Smith Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Little tunny 58
    • Scup 56

    9 kt NEH 4:38 AM · 1.3 ftL 10:25 AM · 0.5 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.