Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Hatton Point

36.85°N · 76.36°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 AM · Black sea bass

69/100Great
Now
559 AM EDT
Best window
9 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 9 AM · now

Time9ANOW
Score55Good
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast91% chance of rain
Water80°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

Hatton Point

Depth
1-6 ftFlat bottom
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 Hatton Point

Hatton Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 1-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 3.0 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 64
    • Red drum 62

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft

  • Lambert Bend

    Bend · 2.0 mi

    69
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 69
    • Scup 66
    • Black sea bass 62

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 2.4 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 63
    • Atlantic croaker 59

    12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 2.4 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Little tunny 63
    • Spot 63

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 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.