Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Calf Pasture Point

37.67°N · 76.43°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 1 AM · Red drum

75/100Great
Now
5310 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMEbb tide
Tide now
High1.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Thursday, Sep 24 · 9 PM

Time9P
Score76Great
Tide1.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward W
Wind8 kn NNEgusts 16 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.4 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water75°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Red drum is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with VMRC before you keep a fish.

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in Virginia

Spot profile

Calf Pasture Point

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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 Calf Pasture Point

Calf Pasture Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is under 1 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and protected.

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

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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

  • Carter Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    68
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 68
    • Scup 61
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Dead and Bones Cove

    Bay · 0.3 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Bridge Cove

    Bay · 0.8 mi

    67
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 67
    • Scup 60
    • Atlantic croaker 56

    13 kt NEL 4:21 AM · 0.6 ftH 10:00 AM · 1.4 ft

  • Sloop Landing Point

    Cape · 0.8 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Scup 55
    • Atlantic croaker 51

    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.