Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

York Point

37.17°N · 76.39°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA

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Best score today · 11 AM · Black sea bass

62/100Good
Now
5110 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.7 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
Score51Good
Tide1.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind16 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% 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.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

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

York Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
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 York Point

York Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from New Point Comfort to Little Creek VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 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 spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Spot peak from August through October.

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

  • Cabin Creek

    Gut · 0.6 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Summer flounder 58
    • Red drum 57

    16 kt NEL 1:29 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:43 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Hunts Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Bluefish 55
    • Spot 54

    16 kt NEL 1:41 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 2.9 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Summer flounder 58
    • Sheepshead 57

    16 kt NEL 1:41 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Bluefish 55
    • Spot 54

    16 kt NEL 1:29 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:43 PM · 2.6 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.