Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Black Point

37.20°N · 76.73°W · Cape · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 8 PM · Black sea bass

71/100Great
Now
495 PM EDT
Best window
6 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding0.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score49Good
Tide0.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentEbb0.6 kn · toward ENE
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Air temp65°Mild
WeatherOvercast53% chance of rain
Water76°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.

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

Black Point

Depth
2-7 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Black Point

Black Point is a cape in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, scup, Spanish mackerel and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, weakfish and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • The Thorofare

    Channel · 0.6 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 66
    • Summer flounder 65

    11 kt NEH 10:31 PM · 2.4 ftL 5:03 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Goose Hill Channel

    Channel · 1.0 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 64
    • Summer flounder 64

    11 kt NEH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:59 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Lower Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Scup 59
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    11 kt NEH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:59 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Drewry Point

    Cape · 3.1 mi

    63
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 63
    • Scup 59
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    11 kt NEH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ftL 4:59 AM · 0.5 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.