Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Bluff Point

37.69°N · 76.30°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Black sea bass

68/100Great
Now
577 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-3 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.2 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
Score57Good
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind11 kn NNEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast69% 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

Bluff Point

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
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 Bluff Point

Bluff Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-7 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 scup. 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. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Scup peak from June 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

  • Arthur Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 69
    • Sheepshead 66

    11 kt NNEH 9:17 AM · 1.5 ftL 3:26 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Grace Point

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 69
    • Scup 69

    11 kt NNEH 9:17 AM · 1.5 ftL 3:26 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Kent Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 64

    11 kt NNEH 10:26 AM · 1.1 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 ft

  • Jarvis Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Bluefish 62
    • Scup 62

    11 kt NNEH 10:26 AM · 1.1 ftL 4:40 PM · 0.3 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.