Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bar · Virginia

Wolf Trap

37.40°N · 76.19°W · Bar · Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

75/100Great
Now
487 PM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.9 ft

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

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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Mon · 81

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score48Good
Tide1.9 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NNE
Wind12 kn ENEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate3.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast99% chance of rain
Water79°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.

Always check with VMRC ↗Fishing license ↗

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

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

Wolf Trap

Depth
20-25 ftSlope
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · slope
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 Wolf Trap

Wolf Trap is a bar in Chesapeake Bay from Windmill Point to New Point Comfort VA, Virginia. Depth is 20-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for bluefish, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June 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.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Winter Harbor

    Bay · 3.6 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Scup 65
    • Atlantic croaker 57

    12 kt ENEL 1:48 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:21 AM · 1.7 ft

  • Sage Point

    Cape · 6.3 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 60
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    12 kt ENEH 8:34 PM · 1.4 ftL 3:20 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Horn Harbor

    Bay · 5.3 mi

    47
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 47
    • King mackerel 47
    • Bluefish 44

    16 kt NEL 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:06 AM · 2.5 ft

  • Mill Point

    Cape · 5.3 mi

    44
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 44
    • Striped bass 43
    • Black sea bass 41

    16 kt NEL 1:18 AM · 0.6 ftH 7:06 AM · 2.5 ft

Open in the tide map

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.