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Black sea bassShoulder seasonChannel · Virginia
Town Point Reach
36.84°N · 76.30°W · Channel · James River from JRB to HRBT, Including the Elizabeth River
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 11 PM · Black sea bass
- 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
Notify me when Town Point Reach 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 · 10 AM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.2 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
74Wind: 12 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
72Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Black sea bass
Species seasonality
70Season: ShoulderHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- This week
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 Reach71
Channel · 1.6 mi
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 Bend71
Bend · 2.8 mi
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 Flats68
Flat · 0.6 mi
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 Point66
Cape · 0.5 mi
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.
