Waterlands

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Red drumPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Ferry Point

37.37°N · 76.66°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 8 AM · Red drum

73/100Great
Now
625 PM EDT
Best window
5 PM-12 AMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.6 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Sunday, Oct 4 · 8 AM

Time8A
Score70Great
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 Red drum 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 Red drum is best here

Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak

Red drum season by week of the year. Peak season for Red drum · 4 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Red drum in Virginia

Spot profile

Ferry Point

Depth
2-9 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonRed drum

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, little tunny and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, Spanish mackerel and red drum, and shoulder season for bluefish, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and striped bass. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

Red drum
Redfish feed on shallow grass flats, oyster bars and marsh edges, often in 1 to 4 feet of water, and drop into channels, deep holes and tidal creeks when the water turns very hot or cold. Work a live shrimp under a popping cork or a soft plastic along the grass line on a rising tide, then fish creek mouths and drains as the tide falls. Bull reds over 30 inches school in the surf, passes and jetties in late summer and fall, where cut mullet or a live crab on the bottom is the standard approach.
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

  • Penniman Spit

    Bar · 7.4 mi

    68
    Top: Spanish mackerelPeak season
    • Spanish mackerel 68
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 66

    15 kt ENEH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:56 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Gum Point

    Cape · 4.6 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 63

    15 kt ENEH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:56 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Blundering Point

    Cape · 6.0 mi

    67
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 67
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64

    15 kt ENEH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:56 AM · 0.6 ft

  • Green Point

    Cape · 7.4 mi

    66
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 62

    15 kt ENEH 7:46 PM · 2.8 ftL 1:56 AM · 0.6 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.