Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder 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 · Black sea bass

73/100Great
Now
4110 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.6 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score41Fair
Tide2.6 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind14 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.5 ft · 3 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast56% chance of rain
Water73°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

North Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Atlantic croaker, bluefish, 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

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 67
    • Atlantic croaker 62

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

  • Drum Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 64
    • Little tunny 59

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

  • South Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 62
    • Little tunny 54

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

  • Scarborough Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 62
    • Little tunny 54

    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.