Waterlands

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TautogShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Jarvis Point

37.72°N · 76.31°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Tautog

76/100Great
Now
3511 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

Monday, Sep 28 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score60Good
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward S
Wind4 kn WNWgusts 19 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water71°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Tautog 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 Tautog is best here

Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder

Tautog season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Tautog in Virginia

Spot profile

Jarvis Point

Depth
2-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonTautog

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 Jarvis Point

Jarvis Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-10 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, scup and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, striped bass 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

Tautog
Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
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

  • Ingram Cove

    Bay · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 57
    • Atlantic croaker 52

    13 kt NEL 4:29 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:26 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Bluff Point

    Cape · 2.3 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

  • Kent Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

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

    13 kt NEL 4:29 AM · 0.3 ftH 10:26 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Hughlett Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

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

    13 kt NEL 4:29 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.