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SpotPeak seasonBay · Virginia
Mailboat Harbor
37.83°N · 75.98°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Spot
- Now
- 809 PM EDT
- Best window
- 9-11 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.6 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Mailboat Harbor 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
Sunday, Oct 4 · 5 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 1.4 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
95Wind: 10 kt SPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Red drum
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Mailboat Harbor
- Depth
- 1-2 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Mailboat Harbor
Mailboat Harbor is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-2 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, king mackerel and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Tangier North Channel77
Channel · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Scup 69
- Atlantic croaker 68
11 kt ENEL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ft
- West Point71
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Scup 64
- Little tunny 61
11 kt ENEL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ft
- East Point71
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Scup 64
- Little tunny 61
11 kt ENEL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:29 AM · 1.3 ft
- Whale Point71
Cape · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Scup 64
- Little tunny 60
11 kt ENEL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ftH 9:29 AM · 1.3 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.