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ScupPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Rum Point
37.87°N · 76.01°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Scup
- Now
- 647 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-11 PMHigh slack
- Tide now
- Flooding1.2 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Rum Point 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 · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
80Wind: 11 kt ENEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
61Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: DuskSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.5 ftSeason & habitat · Scup
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here
Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Rum Point
- Depth
- 1-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonScup
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 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
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Goose Harbor80
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 80
- Red drum 74
- Sheepshead 74
11 kt ENEH 9:10 PM · 1.6 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ft
- Fishing Gut77
Bay · 2.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Spot 76
- Summer flounder 72
11 kt ENEH 9:10 PM · 1.6 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ft
- Tangier North Channel77
Channel · 3.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Red drum 74
- Summer flounder 74
11 kt ENEH 9:10 PM · 1.6 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.3 ft
- West Point75
Cape · 3.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 75
- Spanish mackerel 71
- Spot 71
11 kt ENEH 9:10 PM · 1.6 ftL 3:48 AM · 0.3 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.
