Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder 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 · 4 AM · Spotted seatrout

65/100Great
Now
474 AM EDT
Best window
4-9 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.4 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score47Good
Tide1.4 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward S
Wind11 kn NEgusts 22 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.1 ft · 4 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast47% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

Lawless Point

Depth
2-8 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 spot, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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

  • Craney Island Reach

    Channel · 1.7 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Red drum 65
    • Sheepshead 63

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

  • Craney Island Flats

    Bar · 2.2 mi

    66
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 66
    • Spot 63
    • Bluefish 60

    11 kt NEH 7:23 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:26 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Tanner Point

    Cape · 0.6 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 61
    • Bluefish 59

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

  • Lamberts Point

    Cape · 2.5 mi

    65
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 65
    • Spot 65
    • Black sea bass 62

    11 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.