Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Bluff Point

37.67°N · 75.87°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

75/100Great
Now
647 AM EDT
Best window
3-9 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Ebbing1.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score64Good
Tide1.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind6 kn NEgusts 11 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherClear2% cloud
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Atlantic croaker in Virginia

Spot profile

Bluff Point

Depth
1-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Bluff Point

Bluff Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and scup. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Buckland Gut

    Gut · 1.4 mi

    81
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 81
    • Atlantic croaker 73
    • Scup 72

    6 kt NEL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:16 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Warehouse Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Little tunny 68
    • Scup 66

    6 kt NEL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:16 PM · 1.9 ft

  • West Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Little tunny 68
    • Scup 66

    6 kt NEL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:16 PM · 1.9 ft

  • Coffin Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Little tunny 68
    • Scup 66

    6 kt NEL 12:06 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:16 PM · 1.9 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.