Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Pike Point

36.92°N · 76.49°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 6 PM · Scup

70/100Great
Now
392 AM EDT
Best window
5-7 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.6 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 AM · now

Time2ANOW
Score39Fair
Tide0.6 ftLow
CurrentSlack0.1 kn
Wind15 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.7 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast98% chance of rain
Water79°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.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

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

Pike Point

Depth
2-7 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 Pike Point

Pike Point is a cape in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 2-7 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

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

  • Batten Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    54
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 54
    • Red drum 49
    • Scup 45

    15 kt NEH 8:05 AM · 2.7 ftL 2:06 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Winall Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    51
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 51
    • Spot 47
    • Little tunny 44

    15 kt NEH 8:00 AM · 3.2 ftL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Point of Marsh

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    47
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 47
    • Little tunny 44
    • Bluefish 42

    15 kt NEH 8:00 AM · 3.2 ftL 2:10 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Willis John Shoal

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    47
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 47
    • Spanish mackerel 44
    • Bluefish 43

    15 kt NEH 8:05 AM · 2.7 ftL 2:06 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.