Waterlands

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ScupPeak season

Cape · Virginia

Gloucester Point

37.25°N · 76.50°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 6 PM · Red drum

76/100Great
Now
659 AM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
Flooding0.8 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Monday, Sep 21 · 9 AM

Time9A
Score72Great
Tide1.4 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb0.3 kn · toward E
Wind3 kn SWgusts 10 · steady
Air temp77°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water82°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Scup 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 Scup is best here

Peak season for Scup · 6 more weeks at peak

Scup season by week of the year. Peak season for Scup · 6 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • Not here
  • This week

Scup in Virginia

Spot profile

Gloucester Point

Depth
3-70 ftNearest water
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
Season
Peak seasonScup

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 scup, spot and Spanish mackerel. It is peak season now for scup, spot, Spanish mackerel and little tunny, and shoulder season for king mackerel, black sea bass, Atlantic croaker and tautog. Scup peak from June through October. Spot peak from August through October. Spanish mackerel peak from July through September.

Tackle & technique

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.
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.
Spanish mackerel
Spanish mackerel school along beaches and around inlets, jetties, piers and bridge-tunnel structures, and along tide rips in 5 to 40 feet of water once the water climbs above about 68 degrees F. Troll small spoons or cast metal jigs and retrieve fast, or look for birds diving on bait and cast into the school. FWC calls for a 30 to 60 pound monofilament leader because their teeth cut light line.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cornwallis Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    72
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 72
    • Scup 67
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    5 kt SSWH 2:24 PM · 2.7 ftL 9:06 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Point of Rocks

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    66
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 66
    • Sheepshead 64
    • Spot 64

    5 kt SSWH 2:26 PM · 2.6 ftL 9:17 PM · 0.9 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Spanish mackerel 64
    • Little tunny 63

    5 kt SSWH 2:24 PM · 2.7 ftL 9:06 PM · 0.8 ft

  • Quarter Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    65
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 65
    • Spanish mackerel 64
    • Little tunny 63

    5 kt SSWH 2:24 PM · 2.7 ftL 9:06 PM · 0.8 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.