Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Lamberts Point

36.88°N · 76.33°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 AM · Black sea bass

68/100Great
Now
6510 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.0 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score65Great
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.4 kn · toward NNW
Wind13 kn NEgusts 26 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast97% 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

Lamberts Point

Depth
6-45 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 Lamberts Point

Lamberts Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 6-45 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, black sea bass 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. Little tunny peak from September through October. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. 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

  • Lambert Bend

    Bend · 0.3 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Summer flounder 67
    • Black sea bass 66

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

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Sheepshead 65

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

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Summer flounder 66
    • Red drum 64

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

  • Tanner Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    13 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.