Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Ferry Point

37.37°N · 76.66°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 6 PM · Atlantic croaker

74/100Great
Now
618 AM EDT
Best window
5-10 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding2.7 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score35Fair
Tide2.0 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.6 kn · toward ESE
Wind2 kn ENEgusts 4 · steady
Air temp62°Mild
WeatherOvercast97% cloud
Water80°FPersisted

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.

Source: VMRC · synced yesterday

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

Ferry Point

Depth
2-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · 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 Ferry Point

Ferry Point is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth is 2-9 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, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, king mackerel, spotted seatrout and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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

  • Gum Point

    Cape · 4.6 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 63

    7 kt ESEL 1:15 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Blundering Point

    Cape · 6.0 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 63

    7 kt ESEL 1:15 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 7.4 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Little tunny 63
    • Scup 63

    7 kt ESEL 1:15 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ft

  • Penniman Spit

    Bar · 7.4 mi

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Spanish mackerel 65
    • Little tunny 63

    7 kt ESEL 1:15 PM · 0.7 ftH 7:46 PM · 2.8 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.