Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

37.85°N · 75.69°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 8 AM · Scup

75/100Great
Now
5611 AM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score56Good
Tide1.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind8 kn NEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.7 ft · 2 s
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherPartly cloudy29% cloud
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak

Scup season by week of the year. Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Scup in Virginia

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
4-9 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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 4-9 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 red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and cobia. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
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

  • Cedar Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 66
    • Scup 61

    8 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ft

  • Annis Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Scup 57

    8 kt NEL 3:35 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:31 PM · 2.4 ft

  • Ebb Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 62
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:23 PM · 2.5 ft

  • Flood Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 62
    • Red drum 57

    8 kt NEL 3:31 PM · 0.8 ftH 9:23 PM · 2.5 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.