Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Little Sandy Point

37.82°N · 76.32°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
536 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Sep 28 · 11 AM

Time11A
Score59Good
Tide0.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward NW
Wind9 kn NWgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.1 ft · 3 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water71°FBias corrected

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

Little Sandy Point

Depth
4-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Little Sandy Point

Little Sandy Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 4-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

  • Ingram Bay

    Bay · 1.8 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Spanish mackerel 67
    • Scup 66

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:29 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Bussel Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 65

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Haynie Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 65

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 ft

  • Cockrell Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    12 kt NEH 10:04 PM · 1.2 ftL 4:32 AM · 0.3 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.