Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Lawless Point

36.91°N · 76.32°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 AM · Atlantic croaker

68/100Great
Now
403 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.9 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 3 PM · now

Time3PNOW
Score40Fair
Tide0.9 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind13 kn NEgusts 29 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast96% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Virginia

Spot profile

Lawless Point

Depth
2-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Lawless Point

Lawless Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Scup 57
    • Sheepshead 56

    13 kt NEH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    59
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 59
    • Black sea bass 56
    • Little tunny 56

    13 kt NEH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:59 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Craney Island Flats

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    58
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 58
    • Spanish mackerel 58
    • Bluefish 54

    13 kt NEH 7:40 PM · 2.9 ftL 1:55 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Tanner Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Spot 53
    • Bluefish 51

    13 kt NEH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ftL 1:59 AM · 0.5 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.