Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

North Point

37.90°N · 75.71°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

73/100Great
Now
4311 PM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Sep 29 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score66Great
Tide1.2 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward SSW
Wind3 kn NWgusts 17 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.4 ft · 2 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water70°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

North Point

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

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 Point

North 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, 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 weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Rock Gut

    Gut · 1.1 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 64
    • Atlantic croaker 60

    14 kt NEL 5:09 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:42 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Scup 62

    14 kt NEL 4:54 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:30 AM · 2.4 ft

  • South Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 59
    • Little tunny 58

    14 kt NEL 4:54 AM · 0.9 ftH 10:20 AM · 2.4 ft

  • Scarborough Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 59
    • Little tunny 58

    14 kt NEL 4:54 AM · 0.9 ftH 10:20 AM · 2.4 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.