Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Bend · Virginia

Lambert Bend

36.87°N · 76.33°W · Bend · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 4 AM · Black sea bass

71/100Great
Now
625 AM EDT
Best window
5-10 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 AM · now

Time5ANOW
Score62Good
Tide1.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward SE
Wind12 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast53% chance of rain
Water79°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

Lambert Bend

Depth
20-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · 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 Lambert Bend

Lambert Bend is a bend in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 20-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, scup, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, weakfish and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Red drum peak in May and from September 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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 63
    • Scup 62

    12 kt NEH 7:46 AM · 3.0 ftL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Red drum 65
    • Summer flounder 63

    12 kt NEH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ftL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Hatton Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 61
    • Red drum 60

    12 kt NEH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ftL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 0.3 mi

    64
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 64
    • Spot 64
    • Black sea bass 62

    12 kt NEH 7:41 AM · 2.8 ftL 1:30 PM · 0.6 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.