Waterlands

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SpotPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Rainy Point

37.79°N · 75.76°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Spot

76/100Great
Now
665 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score66Great
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy30% cloud
Water80°FObserved

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 · 4 more weeks at peak

Spot season by week of the year. Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spot in Virginia

Spot profile

Rainy Point

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Rainy Point

Rainy Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 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, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Island Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Red drum 69
    • Scup 63

    12 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Custis Cove

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Spanish mackerel 66
    • Red drum 65

    12 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Canoedas Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    12 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 ft

  • Custis Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    12 kt ENEH 8:58 PM · 2.2 ftL 3:36 AM · 1.1 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.