Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bay · Virginia

Mobjack Bay

37.28°N · 76.30°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

63/100Good
Now
463 AM EDT
Best window
6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 AM · now

Time3ANOW
Score46Good
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward SE
Wind15 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.0 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast97% 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 VMRC before you keep a fish.

Source: VMRC · 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 Virginia

Spot profile

Mobjack Bay

Depth
25-30 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 Mobjack Bay

Mobjack Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth is 25-30 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 bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. 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

  • Deep Creek

    Channel · 2.1 mi

    62
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 62
    • Red drum 59
    • Scup 54

    15 kt NEH 7:06 AM · 2.5 ftL 1:28 PM · 0.6 ft

  • New Point Comfort

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    59
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 59
    • Spot 55
    • Little tunny 54

    15 kt NEH 7:06 AM · 2.5 ftL 1:28 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Monday Creek

    Gut · 4.6 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Red drum 57
    • Summer flounder 54

    15 kt NEH 7:12 AM · 2.5 ftL 1:23 PM · 1.2 ft

  • York Spit

    Bar · 4.0 mi

    50
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 50
    • Spot 50
    • Spanish mackerel 48

    15 kt NEH 7:26 AM · 2.3 ftL 1:29 PM · 0.6 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.