Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Orchard Point

37.65°N · 76.45°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 10 AM · Spotted seatrout

68/100Great
Now
4912 AM EDT
Best window
7 AM-12 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Ebbing1.3 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 12 AM · now

Time12ANOW
Score49Good
Tide1.3 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentSlack0.0 kn
Wind13 kn NEgusts 25 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast72% chance of rain
Water78°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Spotted seatrout 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 Spotted seatrout is best here

Shoulder season for Spotted seatrout · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Spotted seatrout in Virginia

Spot profile

Orchard Point

Depth
2-25 ftSlope
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · slope
Season
Shoulder seasonSpotted seatrout

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 Orchard Point

Orchard 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 semi-exposed.

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 sheepshead, 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

Spotted seatrout
Trout hold over grass beds and sandy potholes in 2 to 8 feet of water most of the year and slide into channels, deep creek bends and canals during cold snaps. A live shrimp under a slip or popping cork, a paddle tail on a light jighead, or a topwater walked at first light covers most situations. Keep the drag light because their mouths tear easily.
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 · 0.8 mi

    61
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 61
    • Red drum 55
    • Bluefish 54

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

  • Sloop Landing Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    56
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 56
    • Little tunny 55
    • Bluefish 54

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

  • Crab Point

    Cape · 0.7 mi

    56
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 56
    • Little tunny 55
    • Bluefish 54

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

  • Galley Hook Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    56
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 56
    • Little tunny 55
    • Bluefish 54

    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.