Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Ball Point

37.68°N · 76.48°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 10 AM · Black sea bass

68/100Great
Now
404 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.6 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score40Fair
Tide0.6 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward E
Wind12 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast62% chance of rain
Water77°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

Ball Point

Depth
2-25 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Ball Point

Ball Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 2-25 ft, with a slope. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, spotted seatrout, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Carter Cove

    Bay · 2.4 mi

    54
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 54
    • Scup 50
    • Red drum 48

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Yankee Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Little tunny 49
    • Red drum 47

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Bar Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Little tunny 49
    • Red drum 47

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 0.6 ft

  • Dead and Bones Cove

    Bay · 2.3 mi

    53
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 53
    • Red drum 52
    • Scup 49

    12 kt NEH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ftL 4:31 PM · 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.