Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.81°N · 75.72°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Atlantic croaker

76/100Great
Now
606 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 · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score60Good
Tide1.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NNE
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 21 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp74°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy75% cloud
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Atlantic croaker in Virginia

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
2-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 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 Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass 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

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • The Thorofare

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Red drum 72
    • Summer flounder 72

    12 kt ENEH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Weir Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Spot 72
    • Spanish mackerel 69

    12 kt ENEH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Zare Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    72
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 72
    • Spot 72
    • Spanish mackerel 68

    12 kt ENEH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:24 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Canoedas Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    69
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 69
    • Spot 69
    • Spanish mackerel 67

    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.