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Spotted seatroutShoulder 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 · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 4810 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 10 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
65Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.7 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
26Wind: 14 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
67Water temp: 73°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.6 ftSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
66Season: ShoulderHabitat: Structure unmappedDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 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 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 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
- 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
- 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.