Waterlands

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WeakfishShoulder 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 · 12 AM · Weakfish

73/100Great
Now
357 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.8 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
Score35Fair
Tide2.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward NW
Wind16 kn NEgusts 29 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Weakfish 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 Weakfish is best here

Shoulder season for Weakfish · 1 more week at shoulder

Weakfish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Weakfish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Weakfish in Virginia

Spot profile

Jail Point

Depth
2-3 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonWeakfish

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 bluefish, king mackerel and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, king mackerel, striped bass and black sea bass. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

Tackle & technique

Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.
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.
King mackerel
Kings roam from beaches and pier ends out to reefs, wrecks and ledges in 40 to 200 feet, usually feeding in the upper half of the water column. Slow-troll live menhaden, blue runners or cigar minnows on a light wire stinger rig, or pull spoons and ribbonfish past bait schools. Look for clean green water above 68 F with bait and birds on it.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Swash Hole

    Bay · 3.4 mi

    54
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 54
    • King mackerel 52
    • Black sea bass 50

    16 kt NEH 8:34 PM · 2.5 ftL 2:58 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    52
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 52
    • King mackerel 50
    • Striped bass 48

    16 kt NEH 8:01 PM · 3.0 ftL 2:35 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Blunt Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    51
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 51
    • King mackerel 50
    • Striped bass 50

    16 kt NEH 8:01 PM · 3.0 ftL 2:35 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Curtis Point

    Cape · 0.4 mi

    49
    Top: BluefishShoulder season
    • Bluefish 49
    • King mackerel 48
    • Striped bass 48

    16 kt NEH 8:01 PM · 3.0 ftL 2:35 AM · 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.