Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

SpotPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Hospital Point

36.85°N · 76.30°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 10 AM · Spot

66/100Great
Now
6212 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.1 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.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 PM · now

Time12PNOW
Score62Good
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward NNW
Wind13 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spot is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Spot is best here

Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak

Spot season by week of the year. Peak season for Spot · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Spot in Virginia

Spot profile

Hospital Point

Depth
6-60 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonSpot

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

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Town Point Reach

    Channel · 0.5 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Black sea bass 61
    • Sheepshead 61

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

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 1.1 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Black sea bass 63
    • Sheepshead 62

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

  • Lambert Bend

    Bend · 2.3 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Summer flounder 64
    • Black sea bass 63

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

  • Ludlow Flats

    Flat · 0.4 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Spot 62
    • Summer flounder 59

    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.