Waterlands

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SpotPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Factory Point

37.76°N · 75.77°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spot

76/100Great
Now
604 AM EDT
Best window
7-10 AMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Saturday, Oct 3 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score80Great
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.0 kn · toward SSW
Wind8 kn WSWgusts 14 · steady
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water73°FPersisted

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here

Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak

Spot season by week of the year. Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spot in Virginia

Spot profile

Factory Point

Depth
Up to 2 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpot

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 Factory Point

Factory Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is up to 2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, red drum and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, red drum, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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

  • Custis Cove

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Red drum 61
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    4 kt WNWH 8:26 AM · 1.8 ftL 2:43 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Island Bay

    Bay · 2.2 mi

    65
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 65
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 56

    4 kt WNWH 8:26 AM · 1.8 ftL 2:43 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Rainy Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Red drum 57
    • Little tunny 54

    4 kt WNWH 8:26 AM · 1.8 ftL 2:43 PM · 1.2 ft

  • Custis Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Red drum 57
    • Little tunny 54

    4 kt WNWH 8:26 AM · 1.8 ftL 2:43 PM · 1.2 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.