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Summer flounderPeak seasonCape · Virginia
Bailey Point
37.64°N · 76.57°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point
Species here · tap to switch
Best score today · 9 AM · Summer flounder
- Now
- 4110 PM EDT
- Best window
- 10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
- Tide now
- High1.6 ft
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Bailey Point 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
Thursday, Oct 1 · 8 AM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
97Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.7 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
94Wind: 3 kt NWPressure: RisingWater temp & sky
NDBC
66Water temp: 78°F, warmLight: DawnSolunar: Between periodsSeason & habitat · Summer flounder
Species seasonality
61Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
No rule for Summer flounder 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 Summer flounder is best here
Peak season for Summer flounder · 1 more week at peak
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Bailey Point
- Depth
- 1-7 ftFlat bottom
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
- Season
- Peak seasonSummer flounder
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 Bailey Point
Bailey Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 1-7 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.
Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and red drum, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, bluefish, striped bass and spotted seatrout. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.
Tackle & technique
- Summer flounder
- Summer flounder lie half-buried on sand and shell bottom and ambush bait along channel edges, inlet bars and ocean reefs, from a few feet deep in back bays to about 100 feet offshore. Drift with the tide and bounce a bucktail tipped with a squid or fish strip along the bottom. The bigger fish move to ocean reefs and wrecks in late summer, so follow them out.
- 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
- Sheltons Point67
Cape · 2.5 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 56
- Atlantic croaker 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Towles Point Bar67
Bar · 3.3 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 56
- Atlantic croaker 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Ball Point67
Cape · 5.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 57
- Atlantic croaker 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft
- Yankee Point67
Cape · 5.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 67
- Scup 56
- Atlantic croaker 54
13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 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.