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ScupPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Pike Point
36.92°N · 76.49°W · Cape · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 6 PM · Scup
- 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
Notify me when Pike Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions · rolling from now
Conditions · 2 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
37Tide: Low slackCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
34Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
42Water temp: 79°F, warmLight: NightSolunar: Between periodsSeas: 1.7 ftSeason & habitat · Scup
Species seasonality
75Season: PeakHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
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 Bay54
Bay · 0.7 mi
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 Point51
Cape · 0.7 mi
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 Marsh47
Cape · 0.8 mi
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 Shoal47
Bar · 1.5 mi
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.
