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Red drumPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Jail Point
37.08°N · 76.55°W · Cape · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 4 PM · Red drum
- Now
- 757 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Jail Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 7 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
48Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
100Wind: 5 kt SSWPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
84Water temp: 81°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Red drum
Species seasonality
100Season: PeakHabitat: Prime structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Red drum is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Red drum is best here
Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Jail Point
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonRed drum
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 Jail Point
Jail Point is a cape in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 2-3 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are red drum, spot and spotted seatrout. It is peak season now for red drum, spot, little tunny and scup, and shoulder season for spotted seatrout, Atlantic croaker, striped bass and bluefish. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spotted seatrout peak from October through November.
Tackle & technique
- Red drum
- Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
- 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.
- Spotted seatrout
- Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Blunt Point77
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 77
- Spot 73
- Spotted seatrout 65
5 kt SSWL 1:07 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:44 AM · 2.4 ft
- Thorofare77
Channel · 2.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 77
- Red drum 74
- Atlantic croaker 69
5 kt SSWL 1:07 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:44 AM · 2.4 ft
- Swash Hole76
Bay · 3.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Red drum 68
- Scup 67
5 kt SSWL 1:27 AM · 0.8 ftH 7:15 AM · 2.0 ft
- Curtis Point71
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Red drum 66
- Little tunny 61
5 kt SSWL 1:07 AM · 0.8 ftH 6:44 AM · 2.4 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.
