Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Lamberts Point

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

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Scup

76/100Great
Now
736 PM EDT
Best window
6-8 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding2.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score73Great
Tide2.8 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 18 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.2 ft · 3 s
Air temp73°Warm
WeatherOvercast84% chance of rain
Water80°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak

Scup season by week of the year. Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Scup in Virginia

Spot profile

Lamberts Point

Depth
6-45 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonScup

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 spot, scup and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, king mackerel and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Lambert Bend

    Bend · 0.3 mi

    81
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 81
    • Scup 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71

    9 kt ENEH 7:16 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.2 mi

    81
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 81
    • Atlantic croaker 71
    • Scup 71

    9 kt ENEH 7:16 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:20 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 1.3 mi

    79
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 79
    • Scup 73
    • Atlantic croaker 71

    9 kt ENEH 7:21 PM · 3.2 ftL 1:36 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Tanner Point

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    9 kt ENEH 7:16 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:20 AM · 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.