Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Mosquito Point

37.61°N · 76.36°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

76/100Great
Now
512 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
Score51Good
Tide0.8 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.6 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 Atlantic croaker 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 Atlantic croaker is best here

Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder

Atlantic croaker season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Atlantic croaker · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Atlantic croaker in Virginia

Spot profile

Mosquito Point

Depth
2-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonAtlantic croaker

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 Mosquito Point

Mosquito 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 little tunny, Spanish mackerel and spot. It is peak season now for little tunny, Spanish mackerel, spot and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, black sea bass and Atlantic croaker. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September. Spot peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Atlantic croaker
Croaker feed on mud and sand bottom along channel edges, oyster bars, piers and deeper holes in bays and sounds, mostly in 5 to 30 feet of water. A two-hook bottom rig with small hooks and shrimp, bloodworm or squid catches them from piers, the surf and small boats. Fish the hours around high tide and into the evening.
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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Greys Point

    Cape · 3.9 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 63
    • Spanish mackerel 62

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

  • Deep Hole Point

    Cape · 1.7 mi

    65
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spanish mackerel 61
    • Spot 59

    9 kt ENEL 2:33 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:54 PM · 1.6 ft

  • Cherry Point

    Cape · 2.7 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

  • North Point

    Cape · 3.6 mi

    59
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 59
    • Spanish mackerel 54
    • Spot 54

    12 kt ENEL 2:33 PM · 0.6 ftH 8:54 PM · 1.6 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.