Waterlands

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BluefishShoulder season

Cape · Virginia

Point of Rocks

37.23°N · 76.50°W · Cape · York River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 9 AM · Bluefish

72/100Great
Now
545 PM EDT
Best window
5-8 PMHigh slack
Tide now
Flooding2.3 ft ▲

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

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24-hour conditions · rolling from now

Conditions · 5 PM · now

Time5PNOW
Score54Good
Tide2.3 ft ▲Flooding
CurrentFlood0.7 kn · toward W
Wind9 kn Egusts 19 · steady
Air temp78°Warm
WeatherOvercast41% 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

Point of Rocks

Depth
4-50 ftDrop-off
Structure
Ledge · Inner · Semi-exposedLedge · 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 Point of Rocks

Point of Rocks is a cape in York River, Virginia. Depth is 4-50 ft, with a drop-off. Its profile reads ledge, inner water and semi-exposed.

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

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cornwallis Cove

    Bay · 0.5 mi

    75
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 75
    • Scup 69
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    9 kt EH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Gloucester Point

    Cape · 1.2 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Scup 69
    • Little tunny 65

    9 kt EH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Quarter Point

    Cape · 1.8 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 65
    • Spanish mackerel 65

    9 kt EH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 0.7 ft

  • Stony Point

    Cape · 2.3 mi

    70
    Top: SpotPeak season
    • Spot 70
    • Little tunny 66
    • Spanish mackerel 66

    9 kt EH 6:16 PM · 2.5 ftL 12:41 AM · 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.