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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Whale Point
37.82°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Windmill Point VA
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 426 PM EDT
- Best window
- 6-8 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Flooding0.6 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Whale 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 1.0 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
97Wind: 5 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 71°F, primeLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
32Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Whale Point
- Depth
- 1-3 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 Whale Point
Whale 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 little tunny, scup and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, spot and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Cod Harbor64
Bay · 0.3 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Spot 63
- Sheepshead 62
18 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 1.6 ftL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ft
- Mailboat Harbor64
Bay · 0.9 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 64
- Spot 63
- Sheepshead 62
18 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 1.6 ftL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ft
- Tangier North Channel62
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: ScupPeak season- Scup 62
- Spot 61
- Sheepshead 59
18 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 1.6 ftL 4:33 AM · 0.2 ft
- West Point62
Cape · 1.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 62
- Scup 57
- Bluefish 56
18 kt NEH 9:58 PM · 1.6 ftL 4:33 AM · 0.2 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.
