Waterlands

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Little tunnyPeak 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 · Little tunny

70/100Great
Now
356 PM EDT
Best window
8 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Low0.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 6 PM · now

Time6PNOW
Score35Fair
Tide0.5 ftLow
CurrentEbb0.2 kn · toward SE
Wind18 kn ENEgusts 29 · steady
Air temp70°Warm
WeatherOvercast96% chance of rain
Water77°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Little tunny 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 Little tunny is best here

Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak

Little tunny season by week of the year. Peak season for Little tunny · 5 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Little tunny in Virginia

Spot profile

Sandy Point

Depth
6-10 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonLittle tunny

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 bluefish, black sea bass and striped bass. It is peak season now for little tunny, red drum, scup and sheepshead, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, striped bass and king mackerel. Bluefish peak in May and from October through November. Black sea bass peak from May through June and from October through November. Striped bass peak from April through May and from October through December.

Tackle & technique

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.
Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cedar Point

    Cape · 16 mi

    64
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 60
    • Spot 60

    12 kt NEH 10:21 PM · 1.4 ftL 4:55 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Coles Point

    Cape · 7.5 mi

    56
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 56
    • Scup 53
    • Spanish mackerel 53

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

  • Ragged Point

    Cape · 6.4 mi

    53
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 53
    • Scup 51
    • Spot 51

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

  • Stinking Point

    Cape · 5.3 mi

    52
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 52
    • Scup 51
    • Spot 51

    13 kt NEH 12:45 AM · 1.7 ftL 6:08 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.