Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Onley Point

37.72°N · 75.78°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Scup

76/100Great
Now
6110 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.9 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
Score61Good
Tide1.9 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind10 kn ENEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.0 ft · 3 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast93% cloud
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak

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

Scup in Virginia

Spot profile

Onley Point

Depth
1-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Peak seasonScup

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 Onley Point

Onley Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, spotted seatrout and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
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

  • Poplar Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    76
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 76
    • Scup 67
    • Atlantic croaker 64

    10 kt ENEL 3:56 AM · 0.8 ftH 9:37 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Bailey Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 61
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    10 kt ENEL 3:56 AM · 0.8 ftH 9:37 AM · 1.8 ft

  • Ware Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 62
    • Red drum 60

    10 kt ENEL 3:10 AM · 0.8 ftH 8:53 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Thicket Point

    Cape · 3.2 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 62
    • Red drum 60

    10 kt ENEL 3:10 AM · 0.8 ftH 8:53 AM · 1.7 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.