Waterlands

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Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season

Channel · Virginia

Haul Over

37.60°N · 75.69°W · Channel · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM

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Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic bluefin tuna

68/100Great
Now
467 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing3.9 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: Tue · 80

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score46Good
Tide3.9 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast39% chance of rain
Water71°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic bluefin tuna 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 yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Atlantic bluefin tuna is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna · 9 more weeks at shoulder

Atlantic bluefin tuna season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna · 9 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic bluefin tuna in Virginia →

Spot profile

Haul Over

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic bluefin tuna

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 Haul Over

Haul Over is a channel in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic bluefin tuna
Bluefin tuna follow schools of herring, mackerel, sand eels and menhaden over banks, ledges and shoals, mostly in the top 150 feet. Troll spreader bars and daisy chains to find fish, then switch to live bait, chunks or stick baits once a school is located. Heavy tackle and a NOAA HMS permit are required, and size-class limits change through the season.
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.
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

View all on map →
  • Bradford Bay

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 59

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Wachapreague Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 61

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Gates Channel

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 61

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 ft

  • Custis Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 67
    • Little tunny 61

    16 kt NEL 12:29 PM · 0.8 ftH 7:00 PM · 4.5 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.