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Black sea bassShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Hatton Point
36.85°N · 76.36°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 AM · Black sea bass
- 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
Notify me when Hatton Point 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 · 9 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
85Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
75Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
70Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.1 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
54Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: Out of rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
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 Reach70
Channel · 3.0 mi
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 Bend69
Bend · 2.0 mi
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 Reach68
Channel · 2.4 mi
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 Point66
Cape · 2.4 mi
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.
