UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN
Spotted seatroutShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Tribell Shoal Channel
37.20°N · 76.64°W · Channel · James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Spotted seatrout
- Now
- 6311 AM EDT
- Best window
- 7 PM-12 AMFlood tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.1 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Tribell Shoal Channel 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
69Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn floodWind & pressure
ECMWF
46Wind: 11 kt NNEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
90Water temp: 77°F, primeLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Spotted seatrout
Species seasonality
75Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here
Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Tribell Shoal Channel
- Depth
- 15-25 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · Semi-exposedChannel · slope
- Season
- Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout
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 Tribell Shoal Channel
Tribell Shoal Channel is a channel in James River from Jamestown to the James River Bridge, Virginia. Depth is 15-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- Scup
- Scup school over hard and mixed bottom, rock piles, mussel beds, piers and jetties, usually in 10 to 60 feet of water. Fish a high-low rig with small hooks and squid or clam strips on the bottom, and chum with clam to hold a school under the boat. If nothing bites within 15 minutes, move to the next piece of structure.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Goose Hill Channel76
Channel · 5.0 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 76
- Scup 71
- Atlantic croaker 67
11 kt NNEL 4:34 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ft
- Walnut Point70
Cape · 2.1 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 70
- Spot 70
- Sheepshead 64
11 kt NNEL 3:09 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:15 PM · 2.5 ft
- Drewry Point70
Cape · 4.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 70
- Scup 66
- Little tunny 65
11 kt NNEL 4:34 PM · 0.6 ftH 10:24 PM · 2.3 ft
- Mulberry Point69
Cape · 5.0 mi
Top: Little tunnyPeak season- Little tunny 69
- Spot 68
- Spanish mackerel 63
11 kt NNEL 3:09 PM · 0.6 ftH 9:15 PM · 2.5 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.