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Black sea bassShoulder 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 · Black sea bass
- Now
- 6611 AM EDT
- Best window
- 11 AM-1 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.6 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 · 11 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.3 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
72Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
75Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Major periodSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
75Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In 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
Hospital Point
- Depth
- 6-60 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
- 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 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 black sea bass, little tunny and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and sheepshead, and shoulder season for black sea bass, king mackerel, bluefish and striped bass. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October.
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.
- 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.
- 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
- Town Point Reach71
Channel · 0.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Sheepshead 65
- Summer flounder 65
13 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft
- Port Norfolk Reach71
Channel · 1.1 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Black sea bass 66
- Summer flounder 66
13 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft
- Lambert Bend71
Bend · 2.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 71
- Summer flounder 69
- Black sea bass 67
13 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft
- Ludlow Flats68
Flat · 0.4 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 68
- Spot 65
- Spanish mackerel 63
13 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.
