Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

North End Point

37.94°N · 75.71°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Bluefish

77/100Great
Now
595 PM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score59Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward S
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.5 ft · 2 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy60% cloud
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Bluefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Bluefish in Virginia

Spot profile

North End Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 North End Point

North End Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-6 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, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Robin Hood Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Red drum 73
    • Scup 67

    9 kt ENEH 9:32 PM · 2.4 ftL 4:14 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Pig Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    9 kt ENEH 9:32 PM · 2.4 ftL 4:14 AM · 0.8 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    9 kt ENEH 9:09 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:13 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Persimmon Point

    Cape · 2.7 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    9 kt ENEH 9:49 PM · 2.6 ftL 4:53 AM · 0.9 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.