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SpotPeak seasonBar · Virginia
Point Shoals
37.08°N · 76.64°W · Bar · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 8 AM · Spot
- Now
- 504 PM EDT
- Best window
- 7-9 PMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Low0.7 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Point Shoals 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 · 4 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: Low slackCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
40Wind: 12 kt NNEPressure: FallingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
76Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Spot
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spot 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 Spot is best here
Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Point Shoals
- Depth
- 7-15 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSpot
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 Point Shoals
Point Shoals is a bar in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 7-15 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, red drum and summer flounder, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, black sea bass and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Spanish mackerel
- Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Burwell Bay58
Bay · 1.1 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 58
- Spot 55
- Little tunny 53
12 kt NNEH 9:38 PM · 2.9 ftL 4:12 AM · 0.6 ft
- Rock Landing Shoal Channel58
Channel · 2.3 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 58
- Spot 56
- Spotted seatrout 55
12 kt NNEH 9:55 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:17 AM · 0.4 ft
- Marshy Point47
Cape · 2.9 mi
Top: Striped bassShoulder season- Striped bass 47
- Bluefish 46
- Black sea bass 39
15 kt NNEH 9:55 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:17 AM · 0.4 ft
- Swash Hole45
Bay · 2.9 mi
Top: BluefishShoulder season- Bluefish 45
- Striped bass 44
- Black sea bass 39
15 kt NNEH 9:55 PM · 2.5 ftL 4:17 AM · 0.4 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.
