Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bay · Virginia

Hummock Cove

37.62°N · 75.66°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM

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Best score today · 10 AM · Black sea bass

68/100Great
Now
5910 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-12 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score59Good
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.5 knmodeled · toward SSW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast95% chance of rain
Water70°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Hummock Cove

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bay · Inner · ProtectedBay · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Hummock Cove

Hummock Cove is a bay 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 bay, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are little tunny, red drum and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.
Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Custis Channel

    Channel · 0.4 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 66

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

  • Wachapreague Channel

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 66

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

  • Upper Haul Over

    Channel · 0.8 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 66

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

  • Hummock Channel

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    56
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 56
    • Bluefish 54
    • Striped bass 52

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