Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Eagle Point

37.85°N · 76.37°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
599 PM EDT
Best window
9 PM-12 AMHigh slack
Tide now
High1.4 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 PM · now

Time9PNOW
Score59Good
Tide1.4 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind8 kn Egusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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

Eagle Point

Depth
3-20 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
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 Eagle Point

Eagle Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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

  • Horn Harbor

    Bay · 1.4 mi

    79
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 79
    • Scup 69
    • Atlantic croaker 66

    8 kt EH 9:32 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:14 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Glebe Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    8 kt EH 9:32 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:14 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Ferry Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    8 kt EH 9:32 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:14 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Island Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    8 kt EH 9:32 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:14 AM · 0.8 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.