Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Channel · Virginia

Haul Over

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker

68/100Great
Now
556 AM EDT
Best window
6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding3.9 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 · 6 AM · now

Time6ANOW
Score55Good
Tide3.9 ft ▲Flooding
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind17 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp66°Mild
WeatherOvercast38% chance of rain
Water72°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 yesterday

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

Haul Over

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 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 Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for scup, spot, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, weakfish, black sea bass and bluefish. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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.
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

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 55

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

  • Wachapreague Channel

    Channel · 1.4 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 64
    • Atlantic croaker 55

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

  • Gates Channel

    Channel · 1.5 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 64
    • Atlantic croaker 55

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

  • Custis Channel

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Spot 64
    • Atlantic croaker 55

    17 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.