Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Bar · Virginia

Sewells Point Spit

36.97°N · 76.32°W · Bar · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 AM · Atlantic croaker

71/100Great
Now
527 AM EDT
Best window
10 AM-1 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 AM · now

Time7ANOW
Score52Good
Tide2.6 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentSlack0.2 kn
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.2 ft · 4 s
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast68% chance of rain
Water79°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.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

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

Sewells Point Spit

Depth
6-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · 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 Sewells Point Spit

Sewells Point Spit is a bar in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads bar, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, black sea bass and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

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.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Entrance Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 64
    • Summer flounder 62

    12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Hampton Roads

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 62
    • Atlantic croaker 58

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

  • Old Point Comfort

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    68
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 68
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 59

    12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Hampton Bar

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    64
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 63
    • Scup 59

    12 kt NEH 7:24 AM · 2.6 ftL 1:35 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.