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Atlantic croakerShoulder seasonSpecies here · tap to switch
Best score today · 7 AM · Atlantic croaker
- Now
- 4912 AM EDT
- Best window
- 6 AM-12 PMEbb tide
- Tide now
- Ebbing0.7 ft ▼
Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine
Notify me when Gloucester Point scores 75+
Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.
14-day forecast
Best days to fish
24-hour conditions
Wednesday, Sep 23 · 11 PM
Tide & current
NOAA CO-OPS
100Tide: EbbingCurrent: 0.6 kn ebbWind & pressure
ECMWF
35Wind: 15 kt NEPressure: SteadyWater temp & sky
NDBC + Open-Meteo Marine
87Water temp: 80°F, primeLight: NightSolunar: Major periodSeason & habitat · Atlantic croaker
Species seasonality
40Season: ShoulderHabitat: Poor fitDepth: In range
Current regulations
What you can keep here today
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
- Peak
- Shoulder
- Off
- Not here
- This week
Spot profile
Gloucester Point
- Depth
- 3-70 ftNearest water
- Structure
- Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · drop-off
- 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 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, little tunny and red drum. It is peak season now for spot, little tunny, red drum and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for black sea bass, bluefish, striped bass and king mackerel. Spot peak from August through October. Little tunny peak from September through October. Red drum peak in May and from September through October.
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.
- 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
- Cornwallis Cove65
Bay · 0.7 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 65
- Red drum 61
- Spanish mackerel 57
8 kt EH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 0.7 ft
- Point of Rocks61
Cape · 1.2 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 61
- Red drum 60
- Little tunny 59
8 kt EH 6:48 AM · 2.2 ftL 12:42 PM · 0.7 ft
- Stony Point60
Cape · 1.5 mi
Top: Red drumPeak season- Red drum 60
- Spot 60
- Little tunny 59
8 kt EH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 0.7 ft
- Quarter Point60
Cape · 1.6 mi
Top: SpotPeak season- Spot 60
- Little tunny 59
- Red drum 59
8 kt EH 6:42 AM · 2.3 ftL 12:40 PM · 0.7 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.