Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Cedar Point

37.02°N · 76.34°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 PM · Black sea bass

72/100Great
Now
5811 AM EDT
Best window
11 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.4 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 11 AM · now

Time11ANOW
Score58Good
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.9 kn · toward ENE
Wind13 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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

Cedar Point

Depth
Up to 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is up to 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are red drum, little tunny and summer flounder. It is peak season now for red drum, little tunny, summer flounder and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and spotted seatrout. Red drum peak in May and from September through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Summer flounder peak from June through September.

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.
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

  • Hampton Flats

    Flat · 2.1 mi

    70
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 70
    • Summer flounder 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    13 kt NEL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 PM · 2.9 ft

  • Old Point Comfort

    Cape · 2.1 mi

    70
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 70
    • Black sea bass 65
    • King mackerel 65

    13 kt NEL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 PM · 2.9 ft

  • Entrance Reach

    Channel · 2.8 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Summer flounder 67
    • Red drum 65

    13 kt NEL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 PM · 2.9 ft

  • Hampton Bar

    Bar · 1.6 mi

    69
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 69
    • Little tunny 66
    • Summer flounder 65

    13 kt NEL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:41 PM · 2.9 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.