Waterlands

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Mahi-mahiShoulder season

Bar · Virginia

Turners Lump

37.84°N · 75.36°W · Bar · Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 12 AM · Mahi-mahi

30/100Fair
Now
3011 AM EDT
Best window
11 AM-12 AMDusk
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score30Fair
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.9 knmodeled · toward SW
Wind30 kn NEgusts 42 · steady
Sea stateVery rough8.4 ft · 8 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast84% chance of rain
Water69°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Mahi-mahi 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 Mahi-mahi is best here

Shoulder season for Mahi-mahi · 2 more weeks at shoulder

Mahi-mahi season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Mahi-mahi · 2 more weeks at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Mahi-mahi in Virginia

Spot profile

Turners Lump

Depth
15-25 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Outer · ExposedBar · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonMahi-mahi

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 Turners Lump

Turners Lump is a bar in Coastal waters from Chincoteague to Parramore Island VA out 20 NM, Virginia. Depth is 15-25 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, 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

Mahi-mahi
Mahi feed near the surface along weedlines, floating debris, buoys and current edges offshore, in water from the low 70s to the low 80s. Troll ballyhoo or small skirted lures along the weed, and when a school comes up behind the boat keep one hooked fish in the water while you pitch cut bait or jigs to the rest. Look for birds working over weed and flotsam.
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

  • Toms Cove

    Bay · 2.7 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEL 12:28 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.3 ft

  • Fishing Point

    Cape · 3.4 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEH 6:25 PM · 3.3 ftL 12:33 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Little Toms Cove

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    15 kt NEL 12:28 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.3 ft

  • Chincoteague Shoals

    Bar · 3.9 mi

    30
    Top: Atlantic bluefin tunaShoulder season
    • Atlantic bluefin tuna 30
    • Atlantic croaker 30
    • Black drum 30

    30 kt NEL 12:28 PM · 0.8 ftH 6:39 PM · 4.3 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.