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Spotted seatroutShoulder seasonFlat · Virginia
Old Plantation Flats
37.22°N · 76.04°W · Flat · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 3 AM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 307 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding2.7 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Old Plantation Flats scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
49Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
0Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 22 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 76°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 4.8 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
79Season: ShoulderHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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 today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Old Plantation Flats
- Depth
- 10-30 ftSlope
- Structure
- Flat · Inner · Semi-exposedFlat · slope
- 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 Old Plantation Flats
Old Plantation Flats is a flat in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth is 10-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads flat, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and sheepshead. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, sheepshead and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, king mackerel, bluefish and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Bar Channel35
Channel · 1.0 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Little tunny 35
- Scup 35
22 kt NEH 7:22 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:48 AM · 0.5 ft
- Cherrystone Channel35
Channel · 1.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Little tunny 35
- Scup 35
22 kt NEH 7:22 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:48 AM · 0.5 ft
- Hunts Point35
Cape · 2.8 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
- Little tunny 35
22 kt NEH 7:34 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:59 AM · 0.6 ft
- Cape Charles Harbor Channel35
Channel · 2.9 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 35
- Bluefish 35
- King mackerel 35
22 kt NEH 7:34 PM · 2.7 ftL 1:59 AM · 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.