Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Monadox Point

37.62°N · 75.88°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spot

70/100Great
Now
592 PM EDT
Best window
6-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 30 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score82Great
Tide0.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.1 kn · toward SSW
Wind5 kn NEgusts 8 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.1 ft · 6 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast89% cloud
Water70°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in Virginia

Spot profile

Monadox Point

Depth
1-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 Monadox Point

Monadox Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-9 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Spanish mackerel and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Milbys Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spanish mackerel 55
    • Bluefish 54

    16 kt ENEL 3:12 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Bluff Point

    Cape · 3.5 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 54
    • Spanish mackerel 53

    16 kt ENEL 3:12 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Boggs Gut

    Gut · 1.6 mi

    60
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 60
    • Spot 60
    • Summer flounder 58

    16 kt ENEL 3:12 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:17 PM · 2.0 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    57
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 57
    • Spanish mackerel 49
    • Bluefish 48

    20 kt ENEL 2:30 PM · 0.3 ftH 8:32 PM · 1.8 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.