Waterlands

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TautogShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Greys Point

37.61°N · 76.43°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 9 AM · Tautog

76/100Great
Now
472 PM EDT
Best window
2-3 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.8 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 2 PM · now

Time2PNOW
Score47Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.5 kn · toward E
Wind9 kn ENEgusts 18 · building
Sea stateLight chop1.6 ft · 3 s
Air temp72°Warm
WeatherMostly cloudy100% chance of rain
Water79°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Tautog 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 Tautog is best here

Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder

Tautog season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Tautog · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Tautog in Virginia

Spot profile

Greys Point

Depth
2-6 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonTautog

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 Greys Point

Greys Point is a cape in Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point, Virginia. Depth is 2-6 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are little tunny, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Tautog
Tautog live in rocks, wrecks, bridge pilings and jetties and rarely stray from cover, usually in 10 to 60 feet inshore and deeper in late fall. Anchor so the bait sits in the structure, fish crab on a short rig or a tog jig, and set hard on the second tap before the fish pulls into the rocks. Clams and worms work better in cold spring water; hard crabs are the standard in fall.
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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Jack Cove

    Bay · 2.8 mi

    64
    Top: Red drumPeak season
    • Red drum 64
    • Spot 64
    • Spanish mackerel 57

    12 kt ENEL 3:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 1.9 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spanish mackerel 58
    • Spot 58

    12 kt ENEL 3:17 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:26 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Crab Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    62
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 62
    • Spot 59
    • Spanish mackerel 58

    12 kt ENEL 3:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:35 PM · 1.5 ft

  • Orchard Point

    Cape · 2.8 mi

    60
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 60
    • Spot 58
    • Spanish mackerel 56

    12 kt ENEL 3:40 PM · 0.7 ftH 9:35 PM · 1.5 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.