Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Bulls Head

37.58°N · 75.67°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

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Best score today · 10 AM · Little tunny

71/100Great
Now
637 AM EDT
Best window
8 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.9 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score63Good
Tide3.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast39% chance of rain
Water72°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in Virginia

Spot profile

Bulls Head

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 Bulls Head

Bulls Head is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Little Creek VA to Cape Henry VA including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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 red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Clark Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 59

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Bradford Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 59

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Gates Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 61

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Bradford Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    47
    Top: Yellowfin tunaPeak season
    • Yellowfin tuna 47
    • Bluefish 46
    • Black sea bass 45

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.