Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Rogue Point

37.85°N · 76.33°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Bluefish

74/100Great
Now
512 PM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score51Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind6 kn NEgusts 15 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 3 s
Air temp80°Warm
WeatherOvercast91% cloud
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Bluefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Bluefish in Virginia

Spot profile

Rogue Point

Depth
3-20 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 Rogue Point

Rogue Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 3-20 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Horn Harbor

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Spanish mackerel 64
    • Sheepshead 61

    6 kt NEL 3:21 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:32 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Collins Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 60
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    6 kt NEL 3:21 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:32 PM · 1.4 ft

  • Haynie Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 61
    • Spanish mackerel 59

    6 kt NEL 2:58 PM · 0.4 ftH 9:15 PM · 1.1 ft

  • Ferry Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Spot 60
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    6 kt NEL 3:21 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:32 PM · 1.4 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.