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SpotPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Bailey Point
37.72°N · 75.80°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Spot
- Now
- 594 PM EDT
- Best window
- 5-11 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bailey Point 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
Tuesday, Sep 22 · 7 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
95Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
77Wind: 12 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
89Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.3 ftSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Bailey Point
- Depth
- 1-15 ftSlope
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Bailey Point
Bailey Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, Atlantic croaker and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Poplar Cove64
Bay · 0.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 64
- Red drum 60
- Spanish mackerel 60
11 kt ENEH 9:12 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:56 AM · 0.8 ft
- Ware Point64
Cape · 1.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 64
- Little tunny 62
- Spanish mackerel 60
11 kt ENEH 8:28 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:10 AM · 0.8 ft
- Thicket Point64
Cape · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 64
- Little tunny 62
- Red drum 59
11 kt ENEH 8:28 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:10 AM · 0.8 ft
- Onley Point59
Cape · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 59
- Little tunny 57
- Spanish mackerel 56
11 kt ENEH 9:12 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:56 AM · 0.8 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.
