Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak season

Channel · Virginia

Goose Hill Channel

37.19°N · 76.73°W · Channel · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 11 PM · Little tunny

76/100Great
Now
599 AM EDT
Best window
7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.0 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
Score59Good
Tide2.0 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.8 kn · toward W
Wind11 kn NNEgusts 23 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast67% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in Virginia

Spot profile

Goose Hill Channel

Depth
15-25 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 Goose Hill Channel

Goose Hill Channel is a channel in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 15-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.

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 summer flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spotted seatrout, weakfish and black sea 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

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.
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 · 1.6 mi

    74
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 74
    • Red drum 68
    • Scup 68

    11 kt NNEH 10:11 AM · 2.2 ftL 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Lower Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    11 kt NNEH 10:03 AM · 2.1 ftL 4:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Black Point

    Cape · 1.0 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Red drum 62

    11 kt NNEH 10:03 AM · 2.1 ftL 4:34 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Drewry Point

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Little tunny 67
    • Red drum 62

    11 kt NNEH 10:03 AM · 2.1 ftL 4:34 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.