Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Channel · Virginia

Town Point Reach

36.84°N · 76.30°W · Channel · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River

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Best score today · 11 PM · Black sea bass

72/100Great
Now
6410 AM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.3 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 AM · now

Time10ANOW
Score64Good
Tide2.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward NNW
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp69°Warm
WeatherOvercast97% chance of rain
Water80°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.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

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

Town Point Reach

Depth
15-45 ftSlope
Structure
Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
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 Town Point Reach

Town Point Reach is a channel in James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River, Virginia. Depth is 15-45 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads channel, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, sheepshead and black sea bass. It is peak season now for spot, sheepshead, summer flounder and red drum, and shoulder season for black sea bass, Atlantic croaker, weakfish and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Sheepshead peak from July through September. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November.

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.
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.
Sheepshead
Sheepshead graze barnacles and crabs off pilings, jetty rocks, bridge supports, oyster bars and nearshore reefs, from a few feet deep out to about 50 feet. Drop a fiddler crab, sand flea or piece of shrimp on a small, strong hook straight down next to the structure with just enough weight to hold bottom. The bite is a light tap, so keep the line tight and set the hook fast.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Port Norfolk Reach

    Channel · 1.6 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Sheepshead 65

    12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Lambert Bend

    Bend · 2.8 mi

    71
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 71
    • Summer flounder 67
    • Black sea bass 66

    12 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft

  • Ludlow Flats

    Flat · 0.6 mi

    68
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 68
    • Spot 65
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft

  • Hospital Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    66
    Top: Black sea bassShoulder season
    • Black sea bass 66
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 64

    12 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 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.