Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Bailey Point

37.72°N · 75.80°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

73/100Great
Now
354 PM EDT
Best window
6-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.7 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 PM · now

Time4PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.7 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward SSW
Wind16 kn ENEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.8 ft · 3 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast53% chance of rain
Water76°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

Bailey Point

Depth
1-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 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 little tunny, scup and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October.

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

  • Poplar Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    57
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 57
    • Spot 55
    • Little tunny 53

    16 kt ENEH 10:01 PM · 2.0 ftL 4:37 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Ware Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Scup 54
    • Spanish mackerel 52

    16 kt ENEH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:51 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Thicket Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Scup 54
    • Spot 52

    16 kt ENEH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:51 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Onley Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Scup 51
    • Spot 50

    16 kt ENEH 10:01 PM · 2.0 ftL 4:37 AM · 0.7 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.