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 · 9 AM · Scup

72/100Great
Now
716 PM EDT
Best window
6-8 PMEbb tide
Tide now
High2.5 ft

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

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24-hour conditions

Friday, Oct 2 · 7 PM

Time7P
Score69Great
Tide1.1 ft ▼Ebbing
CurrentEbb1.1 kn · toward E
Wind6 kn ESEgusts 13 · steady
Air temp71°Warm
WeatherClear4% cloud
Water74°FPersisted

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 · 5 more weeks at peak

Scup season by week of the year. Peak season for Scup · 5 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 spot, scup and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for spot, scup, little tunny and Spanish mackerel, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, king mackerel, black sea bass and bluefish. Spot peak from August through October. Scup peak from June through October. Atlantic croaker peak from June through August.

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.
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.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cornwallis Cove

    Bay · 0.7 mi

    78
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 78
    • Scup 71
    • Atlantic croaker 67

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

  • Point of Rocks

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    72
    Top: ScupPeak season
    • Scup 72
    • Spot 72
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    9 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
    • Scup 63
    • Little tunny 62

    9 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
    • Atlantic croaker 61

    9 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.