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BluefishShoulder 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 · 7 AM · Bluefish
- Now
- 557 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
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 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
67Tide: FloodingCurrent: 0.5 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
57Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
66Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Bluefish
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here
Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Jail Point
- Depth
- 2-3 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonBluefish
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, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, spot and summer flounder, and shoulder season for spotted seatrout, bluefish, striped bass and black sea bass. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October.
Tackle & technique
- Bluefish
- Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Thorofare69
Channel · 2.5 mi
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 Hole69
Bay · 3.4 mi
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
- Blunt Point66
Cape · 2.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 66
- Little tunny 64
- Spot 62
15 kt NEH 8:26 AM · 2.8 ftL 2:45 PM · 0.6 ft
- Curtis Point63
Cape · 0.4 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 63
- Spot 63
- Red drum 59
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.
