Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Ware Point

37.73°N · 75.83°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA

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Best score today · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

75/100Great
Now
557 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding1.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score55Good
Tide1.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NNE
Wind11 kn ENEgusts 20 · steady
Sea stateLight chop0.9 ft · 2 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy75% cloud
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

Ware Point

Depth
1-15 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Ware Point

Ware Point is a cape in Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 1-15 ft, with a slope. 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 Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Bailey Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    73
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 73
    • Spot 71
    • Spanish mackerel 70

    11 kt ENEH 9:12 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:56 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Thicket Point

    Cape · 0.9 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    11 kt ENEH 8:28 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:10 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Indian Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    11 kt ENEH 8:28 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:10 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Coffin Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    11 kt ENEH 8:28 PM · 2.0 ftL 3:10 AM · 0.8 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.