Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Rum Point

37.87°N · 76.01°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

61/100Good
Now
492 AM EDT
Best window
7-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 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 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score49Good
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward S
Wind17 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp68°Mild
WeatherOvercast57% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Rum Point

Depth
1-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Rum Point

Rum Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Goose Harbor

    Bay · 0.9 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Sheepshead 60
    • Red drum 58

    17 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Fishing Gut

    Bay · 2.6 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Red drum 60
    • Bluefish 57

    17 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Tangier North Channel

    Channel · 3.0 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Red drum 57
    • Sheepshead 57

    17 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 1.4 ft

  • West Point

    Cape · 3.0 mi

    61
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 57
    • Striped bass 56

    17 kt NEL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ftH 10:15 AM · 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.