Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Scarborough Point

37.90°N · 75.73°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
511 PM EDT
Best window
6-11 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.6 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 1 PM · now

Time1PNOW
Score51Good
Tide1.6 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind14 kn ENEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.4 ft · 3 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast44% chance of rain
Water76°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

Scarborough Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
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 Scarborough Point

Scarborough Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-6 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 Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped 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

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

  • Back Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Sheepshead 63
    • Little tunny 62

    14 kt ENEL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ft

  • Drum Bay

    Bay · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 63
    • Sheepshead 63

    14 kt ENEL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ft

  • North Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 63
    • Bluefish 58

    14 kt ENEL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:58 PM · 2.6 ft

  • South Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 63
    • Bluefish 58

    14 kt ENEL 4:15 PM · 1.0 ftH 9:58 PM · 2.6 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.