Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Hughlett Point

37.73°N · 76.30°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

73/100Great
Now
502 AM EDT
Best window
6 AM-3 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Ebbing0.5 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 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score50Good
Tide0.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward SE
Wind8 kn ESEgusts 15 · 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 Spotted seatrout 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 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

Hughlett Point

Depth
6-9 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 Hughlett Point

Hughlett Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 6-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

  • Ingram Cove

    Bay · 1.3 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Red drum 66
    • Sheepshead 63

    8 kt ESEL 3:48 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:40 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Natty Point Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Red drum 66
    • Sheepshead 63

    8 kt ESEL 3:48 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:40 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Kent Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 63
    • Red drum 62

    8 kt ESEL 3:48 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:40 AM · 1.0 ft

  • Jarvis Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 66
    • Red drum 64

    8 kt ESEL 3:48 AM · 0.4 ftH 9:40 AM · 1.0 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.