Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Halfmoon Point

37.82°N · 75.74°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

75/100Great
Now
472 PM EDT
Best window
2-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.2 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score47Good
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.7 kn · toward SSW
Wind16 kn ENEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherOvercast53% chance of rain
Water76°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

Spotted seatrout season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

Halfmoon Point

Depth
3-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Halfmoon Point

Halfmoon Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 3-5 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, Spanish mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Zare Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spanish mackerel 60
    • Spot 60

    16 kt ENEL 4:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spanish mackerel 60
    • Spot 60

    16 kt ENEL 4:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ft

  • The Thorofare

    Channel · 0.9 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Summer flounder 65
    • Red drum 62

    16 kt ENEL 4:26 PM · 0.7 ftH 10:12 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Canoedas Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spanish mackerel 57
    • Bluefish 56

    16 kt ENEL 3:38 PM · 1.1 ftH 9:47 PM · 2.3 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.