Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Curtis Point

37.08°N · 76.55°W · Cape · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

65/100Great
Now
527 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-2 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score52Good
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.5 kn · toward NW
Wind15 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast94% chance of rain
Water78°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

Curtis Point

Depth
2-4 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Curtis Point

Curtis Point is a cape in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, striped bass and black sea bass. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 2.2 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 64
    • Summer flounder 63

    15 kt NEH 8:26 AM · 2.8 ftL 2:45 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Swash Hole

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Red drum 65
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    15 kt NEH 8:55 AM · 2.3 ftL 3:09 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Jail Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Little tunny 64
    • Spot 63

    15 kt NEH 8:26 AM · 2.8 ftL 2:45 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Blunt Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spot 62

    15 kt NEH 8:26 AM · 2.8 ftL 2:45 PM · 0.6 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.