Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Rowes Point

37.65°N · 76.43°W · Cape · Rappahannock River from Urbanna to Windmill Point

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Best score today · 1 AM · Atlantic croaker

75/100Great
Now
5010 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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14-day forecast

Best days to fish

Best: Sun · 83

24-hour conditions

Wednesday, Sep 23 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score50Good
Tide1.2 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.3 kn · toward W
Wind12 kn NEgusts 24 · steady
Sea stateModerate2.6 ft · 4 s
Air temp63°Mild
WeatherOvercast92% chance of rain
Water78°FBias corrected

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.

Always check with VMRC ↗Fishing license ↗

Source: VMRC · synced today

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

Rowes Point

Depth
Under 1 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · ProtectedPoint · 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 Rowes Point

Rowes 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

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.
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

View all on map →
  • Bridge Cove

    Bay · 0.1 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

  • Jack Cove

    Bay · 0.5 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

  • Galley Hook Point

    Cape · 0.2 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

  • Crab Point

    Cape · 0.7 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

Open in the tide map

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.