Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder 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 · Black sea bass

70/100Great
Now
546 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding2.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score54Good
Tide2.5 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.6 kn · toward W
Wind13 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp68°Warm
WeatherOvercast69% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

Black sea bass season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Sewells Point Spit

Depth
6-10 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Bar · Inner · Semi-exposedBar · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 little tunny, Spanish mackerel and summer flounder. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, summer flounder and spot, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and king mackerel. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Summer flounder peak from June through September.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Hampton Bar

    Bar · 1.9 mi

    67
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 67
    • Bluefish 64
    • Little tunny 64

    13 kt NEH 7:41 PM · 2.9 ftL 2:04 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Old Point Comfort

    Cape · 2.0 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Bluefish 63
    • King mackerel 63

    13 kt NEH 7:41 PM · 2.9 ftL 2:04 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Entrance Reach

    Channel · 0.7 mi

    65
    Top: Summer flounderPeak season
    • Summer flounder 65
    • Red drum 63
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    13 kt NEH 7:41 PM · 2.9 ftL 2:04 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Hampton Roads

    Channel · 1.8 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Scup 61
    • Summer flounder 61

    13 kt NEH 7:40 PM · 2.9 ftL 1:55 AM · 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.