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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonCape · Virginia
Hospital Point
36.85°N · 76.30°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 10 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 509 AM EDT
- Best window
- 9 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing2.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Hospital 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
88Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
60Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: MorningSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 2.3 ftSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
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
Hospital Point
- Depth
- 6-60 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
- 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 Hospital Point
Hospital Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 6-60 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are scup, spot and little tunny. It is peak season now for scup, spot, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, king mackerel, bluefish and striped bass. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Lambert Bend69
Bend · 2.3 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
- Town Point Reach68
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Scup 60
- Red drum 59
12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft
- Port Norfolk Reach68
Channel · 1.1 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
- Ludlow Flats63
Flat · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 63
- Spot 63
- Spanish mackerel 57
12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 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.