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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Bluff Point
37.67°N · 75.87°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- 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
Notify me when Bluff 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
87Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 6 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
98Water temp: 79°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeas: 0.7 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
44Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
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 Gut81
Gut · 1.4 mi
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 Point75
Cape · 1.3 mi
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 Point75
Cape · 1.3 mi
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 Point75
Cape · 2.8 mi
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.
