Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Gloucester Point

37.25°N · 76.50°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 9 AM · Bluefish

72/100Great
Now
527 PM EDT
Best window
7-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing2.5 ft ▼

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 7 PM · now

Time7PNOW
Score52Good
Tide2.5 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentFlood0.2 kn · toward W
Wind10 kn Egusts 18 · steady
Air temp75°Warm
WeatherOvercast37% chance of rain
Water81°FObserved

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish 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 Bluefish is best here

Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder

Bluefish season by week of the year. Shoulder season for Bluefish · 1 more week at shoulder.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Bluefish in Virginia

Spot profile

Gloucester Point

Depth
3-70 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Shoulder seasonBluefish

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 Gloucester Point

Gloucester Point is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth in the nearest water is 3-70 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 17 species here; the best right now are spot, scup and little tunny. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, black sea bass, king mackerel and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Little tunny peak from September through October.

Tackle & technique

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.
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

  • Cornwallis Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    77
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 77
    • Scup 71
    • Atlantic croaker 66

    10 kt EL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Point of Rocks

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Scup 71
    • Little tunny 62

    10 kt EL 12:44 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:48 AM · 2.2 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Little tunny 64
    • Scup 63

    10 kt EL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ft

  • Quarter Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 62

    10 kt EL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ftH 6:42 AM · 2.3 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.