Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · Virginia

Grace Point

37.69°N · 76.35°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Black sea bass

81/100Great
Now
5111 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 PM · now

Time11PNOW
Score51Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind13 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast75% chance of rain
Water78°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.

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

Grace Point

Depth
Up to 15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Grace Point

Grace Point is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is up to 15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, summer flounder and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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

  • Arthur Cove

    Bay · 0.4 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 58
    • Sheepshead 57

    13 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:17 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Waverly Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 58
    • Sheepshead 57

    13 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:17 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Pitman Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Red drum 57
    • Bluefish 56

    13 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:17 AM · 1.5 ft

  • Bluff Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    60
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 60
    • Little tunny 58
    • Bluefish 57

    13 kt NEL 3:23 AM · 0.6 ftH 9:17 AM · 1.5 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.