Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Crab Point

37.65°N · 76.44°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 8 AM · Black sea bass

67/100Great
Now
414 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-4 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Low0.6 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 4 AM · now

Time4ANOW
Score41Fair
Tide0.6 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward E
Wind12 kn NEgusts 23 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
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

Crab Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Crab Point

Crab Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 2-10 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, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, scup and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May 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.
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 · 0.4 mi

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

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

  • Rowes Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    52
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 52
    • Little tunny 48
    • Spot 48

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

  • Sloop Landing Point

    Cape · 0.2 mi

    49
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 49
    • Little tunny 48
    • Bluefish 47

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

  • Galley Hook Point

    Cape · 0.5 mi

    49
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 49
    • Little tunny 48
    • Bluefish 47

    12 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.