Waterlands

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Black sea bassShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Sandy Point

38.07°N · 76.54°W · Cape · Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA

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Best score today · 12 AM · Black sea bass

69/100Great
Now
5110 PM EDT
Best window
10 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.1 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
Score51Good
Tide1.1 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.4 kn · toward NW
Wind18 kn NEgusts 28 · steady
Air temp67°Mild
WeatherOvercast92% chance of rain
Water75°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Black sea bass 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 Black sea bass is best here

Shoulder season for Black sea bass · 1 more week at shoulder

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

Black sea bass in Virginia

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
6-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Shoulder seasonBlack sea bass

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 Sandy Point

Sandy Point is a cape in Tidal Potomac from Cobb Island MD to Smith Point VA, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 6-10 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, little tunny and bluefish. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and scup, and shoulder season for bluefish, striped bass, spotted seatrout and weakfish. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November.

Tackle & technique

Black sea bass
Black sea bass hold tight to wrecks, reefs, rock piles and jetties, from 15 feet inshore in late spring to well over 100 feet on offshore wrecks in late fall. Anchor or drift right over the structure and fish a two-hook high-low rig with squid or clam, or bounce a small jig on the bottom. The biggest males sit on the highest relief.
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

  • Coles Point

    Cape · 7.5 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

  • Ragged Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 64
    • Bluefish 63

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

  • Stinking Point

    Cape · 5.3 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

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 16 mi

    59
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 59
    • Scup 57
    • Little tunny 49

    13 kt NEL 4:55 AM · 0.7 ftH 10:43 AM · 1.3 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.