Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder 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 · 7 AM · Spotted seatrout

75/100Great
Now
4710 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score47Good
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward ENE
Wind15 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherOvercast100% 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.

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

Pike Point

Depth
2-7 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
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 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 red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, Atlantic croaker and black sea bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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

  • Batten Bay

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Red drum 61
    • Sheepshead 58

    15 kt NEL 1:56 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:05 AM · 2.7 ft

  • Winall Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    67
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 67
    • Spot 64
    • Little tunny 59

    15 kt NEL 2:00 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:00 AM · 3.2 ft

  • Point of Marsh

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Little tunny 59
    • Red drum 58

    15 kt NEL 2:00 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:00 AM · 3.2 ft

  • Willis John Shoal

    Bar · 1.5 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 60
    • Bluefish 58

    15 kt NEL 1:56 AM · 0.6 ftH 8:05 AM · 2.7 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.