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ScupPeak 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 · Scup
- Now
- 4912 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing1.1 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 · 12 PM · now
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
42Tide: EbbingCurrent: SlackWind & pressure
ECMWF
53Wind: 13 kt NEPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
45Water temp: 80°F, warmLight: OvercastSolunar: Near a majorSeas: 2.4 ftSeason & habitat · Scup
Species seasonality
90Season: PeakHabitat: Usable structureDepth: In rangeRegulations: no rule on file
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Scup is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.
Source: VMRC · synced today
Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed
When Scup is best here
Peak season for Scup · 5 more weeks at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Town Point Reach
- Depth
- 15-45 ftSlope
- Structure
- Channel · Inner · ProtectedChannel · slope
- Season
- Peak seasonScup
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, black sea bass and sheepshead. 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. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Sheepshead peak from July through September.
Tackle & technique
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nearby spots
Other spots within an easy run
- Port Norfolk Reach68
Channel · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 68
- Black sea bass 63
- Sheepshead 62
13 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft
- Lambert Bend67
Bend · 2.8 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Summer flounder 64
- Black sea bass 63
13 kt NEL 1:30 PM · 0.6 ftH 7:58 PM · 3.0 ft
- Ludlow Flats64
Flat · 0.6 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 64
- Spot 62
- Summer flounder 59
13 kt NEL 1:46 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:03 PM · 3.3 ft
- Hospital Point63
Cape · 0.5 mi
Top: Black sea bassShoulder season- Black sea bass 63
- Little tunny 62
- Spot 62
13 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.
