Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Jail Point

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

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Best score today · 4 PM · Red drum

80/100Great
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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score75Great
Tide2.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward NW
Wind5 kn SSWgusts 9 · steady
Air temp82°Hot
WeatherMostly cloudy62% cloud
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

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.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in Virginia

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 Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    77
    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

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    77
    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 Hole

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    76
    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 Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    71
    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.