Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder 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 · Spotted seatrout

70/100Great
Now
5510 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score55Good
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast95% chance of rain
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

Bulls Head

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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, red drum and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, summer flounder and spot, and shoulder season for striped bass, bluefish, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Gates Channel

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 66

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

  • Clark Bay

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Spot 66
    • Summer flounder 63

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

  • Bradford Bay

    Bay · 1.0 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Spot 66
    • Summer flounder 63

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

  • Bradford Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    56
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 56
    • Bluefish 54
    • Striped bass 52

    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.