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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Island Bay
37.80°N · 75.77°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 536 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-7 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.4 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Island Bay scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 6 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
90Tide: FloodingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
31Wind: 18 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
78Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.0 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
56Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Island Bay
- Depth
- 3-5 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- 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 Island Bay
Island Bay is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 3-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for scup, spot, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, weakfish, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- The Thorofare67
Channel · 1.2 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Spot 66
- Sheepshead 63
18 kt NEH 9:47 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:17 AM · 1.0 ft
- Custis Cove67
Bay · 1.7 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 67
- Spot 65
- Little tunny 62
18 kt NEH 9:47 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:17 AM · 1.0 ft
- Canoedas Point66
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 66
- Scup 61
- Spot 60
18 kt NEH 9:47 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:17 AM · 1.0 ft
- Rainy Point65
Cape · 0.7 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 65
- Scup 61
- Spot 60
18 kt NEH 9:47 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:17 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.