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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Cod Harbor
37.81°N · 75.99°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 639 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.3 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Cod Harbor 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
Monday, Oct 5 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 8 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
97Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
49Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
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 yesterday
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
Cod Harbor
- Depth
- 1-8 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · 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 Cod Harbor
Cod Harbor is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, king mackerel, weakfish and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
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.
- 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
- Mailboat Harbor77
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Scup 74
- Red drum 66
14 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 ft
- Tangier North Channel74
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 74
- Scup 73
- Summer flounder 66
14 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 ft
- Whale Point68
Cape · 0.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 67
- Little tunny 65
14 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 ft
- West Point68
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 67
- Little tunny 65
14 kt EH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ftL 3:48 PM · 0.2 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.