Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Haynie Point

37.83°N · 76.31°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

73/100Great
Now
4711 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 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
Score47Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind13 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast75% chance of rain
Water75°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

Haynie Point

Depth
5-30 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Haynie Point

Haynie Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 5-30 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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

  • Little Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 57
    • Little tunny 55

    13 kt NEL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:26 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Collins Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 56
    • Little tunny 52

    13 kt NEL 4:55 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:43 AM · 1.3 ft

  • Bussel Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 57
    • Little tunny 55

    13 kt NEL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:26 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Cockrell Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 56
    • Little tunny 55

    13 kt NEL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:26 AM · 1.1 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.