Waterlands

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Summer flounderPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Chalmers Point

37.00°N · 76.62°W · Cape · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 7 AM · Summer flounder

69/100Great
Now
489 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-2 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High3.0 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score48Good
Tide3.0 ftHigh
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward NW
Wind15 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast94% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Summer flounder 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 Summer flounder is best here

Peak season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at peak

Summer flounder season by week of the year. Peak season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Summer flounder in Virginia

Spot profile

Chalmers Point

Depth
Under 1 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonSummer flounder

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 Chalmers Point

Chalmers Point is a cape in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, bluefish and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

Tackle & technique

Summer flounder
Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
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.
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

  • Gatling Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Scup 56
    • Atlantic croaker 52

    15 kt NEL 3:04 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:14 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Days Point

    Cape · 2.6 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Red drum 56
    • Scup 56

    15 kt NEL 3:04 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:14 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Red Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 56
    • Red drum 55

    15 kt NEL 3:04 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:14 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Bob Shoal

    Bar · 0.7 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 56
    • Red drum 55

    15 kt NEL 3:04 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:14 PM · 3.3 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.