Waterlands

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SpotPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Poulson Point

37.86°N · 75.67°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 6 PM · Spot

76/100Great
Now
692 PM EDT
Best window
4-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 23 · 11 PM

Time11P
Score64Good
Tide2.5 ftHigh
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind17 kn NEgusts 17
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 3 s
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast99% cloud
Water80°FModel

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here

Peak season for Spot · 5 more weeks at peak

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

Spot in Virginia

Spot profile

Poulson Point

Depth
2-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSpot

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 Poulson Point

Poulson Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, bluefish and cobia. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Rock Gut

    Gut · 0.2 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Red drum 73
    • Sheepshead 70

    8 kt NWH 6:20 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:47 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Brewer Gut

    Gut · 1.3 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Red drum 72
    • Sheepshead 70

    8 kt NWH 6:20 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:47 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 66
    • Red drum 66

    8 kt NWH 6:12 PM · 2.6 ftL 1:43 AM · 0.9 ft

  • Annis Point

    Cape · 1.1 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Little tunny 65
    • Red drum 65

    8 kt NWH 6:20 PM · 2.5 ftL 1:47 AM · 0.9 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.