Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Marshy Point

37.11°N · 76.61°W · Cape · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge

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Best score today · 7 PM · Black sea bass

67/100Great
Now
412 AM EDT
Best window
5-9 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.7 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score41Fair
Tide0.7 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.8 kn · toward SE
Wind15 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Marshy Point

Depth
2-5 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Marshy Point

Marshy Point is a cape in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 2-5 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, red drum and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, spot and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • 67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Red drum 65
    • Spotted seatrout 60

    11 kt NNEL 2:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:55 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Mulberry Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Red drum 60
    • Spot 60

    11 kt NNEL 2:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:55 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Swash Hole

    Bay · 0.6 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Red drum 58
    • Spanish mackerel 53

    15 kt NEL 2:58 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:55 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Thorofare

    Channel · 2.5 mi

    57
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 57
    • Spot 57
    • Spotted seatrout 51

    15 kt NEL 2:35 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:26 AM · 2.8 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.