Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Ware Stick Point

37.14°N · 76.32°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA

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Best score today · 6 PM · Black sea bass

67/100Great
Now
556 PM EDT
Best window
6-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score55Good
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast56% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Ware Stick Point

Depth
Up to 4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Ware Stick Point

Ware Stick Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth is up to 4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, bluefish and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Northend Point

    Cape · 2.9 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 60
    • Bluefish 59

    13 kt NEH 7:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 56
    • Bluefish 55

    16 kt NEH 7:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Marsh Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 56
    • Bluefish 55

    16 kt NEH 7:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:57 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Drum Island Flats

    Flat · 1.0 mi

    61
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 61
    • Summer flounder 57
    • Spot 56

    16 kt NEH 7:33 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:57 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.