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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonBar · Virginia
Great Shoal
36.90°N · 76.48°W · Bar · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 508 AM EDT
- Best window
- 10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High3.2 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Great Shoal 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
Friday, Oct 2 · 7 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.8 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
91Wind: 2 kt ENEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
92Water temp: 75°F, primeLight: DuskSolunar: Near a majorSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
32Off season · capped at 35Season: Off seasonHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here
Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Great Shoal
- Depth
- 2-4 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Shoal · Inner · Semi-exposedShoal · flat bottom
- Season
- Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker
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 Great Shoal
Great Shoal is a bar in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 2-4 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads shoal, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- Atlantic croaker
- Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
- 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
- Cedar Point63
Cape · 0.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Scup 57
- Red drum 53
15 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:17 PM · 3.5 ft
- Noggins Shoal63
Bar · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Scup 57
- Spanish mackerel 53
15 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:17 PM · 3.5 ft
- Willis John Shoal63
Bar · 0.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Scup 57
- Spanish mackerel 53
15 kt NEL 2:06 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:22 PM · 3.0 ft
- Halfpone Shoal63
Bar · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 63
- Scup 57
- Spanish mackerel 53
15 kt NEL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:17 PM · 3.5 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.