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ScupPeak seasonBay · Virginia
Toms Cove
37.88°N · 75.37°W · Bay · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 12 AM · Scup
- Now
- 303 PM EDT
- Best window
- 3 PM-12 AMDusk
- Tide now
- Flooding2.0 ft ▲
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Toms Cove 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 · rolling from now
Conditions · 3 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS + Open-Meteo Marine
100Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 knWind & pressure
ECMWF
29Gusts over the limit · capped at 35Wind: 16 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
51Seas over the limit · capped at 30Water temp: 70°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 9.1 ftSeason & habitat · Scup
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here
Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Toms Cove
- Depth
- 10-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Bay · Outer · ExposedBay · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonScup
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 Toms Cove
Toms Cove is a bay in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 10-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bay, outer water and exposed.
Waterlands scores 20 species here; the best right now are Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker and black drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic bluefin tuna, Atlantic croaker, black sea bass and bluefish. Atlantic bluefin tuna peak from June through July and in December. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August. Black drum peak in May.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Little Toms Cove30
Bay · 1.2 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
16 kt NEH 6:39 PM · 4.3 ftL 1:10 AM · 0.9 ft
- Assateague Point30
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
16 kt NEH 6:25 PM · 3.3 ftL 12:33 AM · 0.7 ft
- Fishing Point30
Cape · 1.9 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
16 kt NEH 6:25 PM · 3.3 ftL 12:33 AM · 0.7 ft
- Black Point Drain30
Gut · 2.2 mi
Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season- Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
- Atlantic croaker 30
- Black drum 30
16 kt NEH 6:41 PM · 2.3 ftL 1:03 AM · 0.3 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.