Waterlands

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Atlantic croakerShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Gloucester Point

37.25°N · 76.50°W · Cape · York River

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Best score today · 9 AM · Atlantic croaker

72/100Great
Now
553 AM EDT
Best window
3-8 PMFlood tide
Tide now
Flooding1.5 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Sep 25 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score54Good
Tide2.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.9 kn · toward W
Wind11 kn NNWgusts 23 · steady
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherOvercast100% cloud
Water78°FBias corrected

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

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

    73
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 73
    • Scup 64
    • Atlantic croaker 62

    5 kt SWH 5:43 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:47 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Point of Rocks

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Scup 64
    • Red drum 62

    5 kt SWH 5:51 AM · 2.0 ftL 11:46 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 1.5 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 62
    • Little tunny 59

    5 kt SWH 5:43 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:47 AM · 0.8 ft

  • Quarter Point

    Cape · 1.6 mi

    66
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 66
    • Red drum 62
    • Little tunny 59

    5 kt SWH 5:43 AM · 2.1 ftL 11:47 AM · 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.