UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBay · Virginia
Planner Cove
37.89°N · 75.90°W · Bay · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 2 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 5510 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Flooding1.9 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Planner Cove scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Friday, Sep 25 · 12 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: High slackCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
96Wind: 8 kt NPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
79Water temp: 72°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
53Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic croaker is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Planner Cove
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Inner · Semi-exposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Planner Cove
Planner Cove is a bay in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, weakfish and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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
- Cedar Straits68
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEH 10:37 PM · 1.9 ftL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ft
- Cedar Straits68
Channel · 1.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEH 10:37 PM · 1.9 ftL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ft
- Green Straits68
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 66
- Red drum 61
14 kt NEH 10:37 PM · 1.9 ftL 5:18 AM · 0.3 ft
- Great Thorofare44
Channel · 1.4 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 44
- Striped bass 44
- Bluefish 42
19 kt NEL 4:30 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:30 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.