Waterlands

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Spotted seatroutShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Ragged Point

38.15°N · 76.61°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 9 AM · Spotted seatrout

72/100Great
Now
5710 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 10 PM · now

Time10PNOW
Score57Good
Tide1.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood1.1 kn · toward W
Wind14 kn NEgusts 27 · steady
Air temp64°Mild
WeatherOvercast57% chance of rain
Water75°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.

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

Ragged Point

Depth
6-15 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
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 Ragged Point

Ragged Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, Virginia. Depth is 6-15 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 bluefish. It is peak season now for little tunny, spot, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spot peak from August through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

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.
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

  • Coles Point

    Cape · 1.3 mi

    68
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 68
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 64

    15 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Stinking Point

    Cape · 1.4 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 63
    • Bluefish 60

    14 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 AM · 0.5 ft

  • Thorns Point

    Cape · 13 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Little tunny 61
    • Red drum 59

    14 kt NEH 12:23 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:44 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Sandy Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    63
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 63
    • Little tunny 62
    • Bluefish 58

    18 kt NEH 12:34 AM · 1.4 ftL 6:18 AM · 0.5 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.